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October 2007
| VH News; Wednesday Halloween Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 @ 3:49 |
| BOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!!! Happy Halloween 2007 Everyone! Please be safe and have a great time!
SoundGraph iMON Ultra Bay LCD Display Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Earlier this year, I reviewed a multimedia LCD screen with remote. Well, now I'm reviewing another one, except this one has a little more pizzazz. The iMON Ultra Bay IR Receiver and LCD Display is the newest model made by SoundGraph, Inc. It is basically an upgraded version of SoundGraph's iMON VFD. The iMON Ultra Bay is twice as high as most LCD display screens, but don't let that frighten you. The upper section is the LCD screen itself (which is approximately the same size as other screens,) and the bottom section has a number of nice, handy buttons and knobs with which to control the device. The iMON Ultra Bay also boasts a remote that is compatible with both MCE remote controllers and keyboards. The remote and device knobs/buttons together give users access to their multimedia systems both up close and from afar. Through these features, SoundGraph touts the iMON Ultra Bay as an easier, more thorough way to monitor both system and media information. Let's see if what they say is true.”
Google in talks with Verizon Wireless
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc is in active talks with number-two U.S. mobile carrier Verizon Wireless about putting Google applications on phones it offers, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
"There are good useful talks going on and they could result in a deal," one of the sources said.
So far talks between the Web search leader and Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, revolve around technology and potential business models such as advertising-sponsored services, one of the people said.
'Quake Wars' is a gorgeous, well-crafted game. Online title is easy for newbies — and plenty challenging for veterans
“Enemy Territory: Quake Wars” is up against some fearsome competition in the online PC multi-player shooter genre. “Battlefield 2142” continues to draw legions of devoted conscripts and many gamers are saving their gaming bucks for “Crysis,” “Unreal Tournament 3,” or “Call of Duty 4,” which are all due out before Christmas.
Although the online servers for “Quake Wars” have been only intermittently well populated, it’s definitely not due to the game. I chalk it up to bad timing on my part, because “Quake Wars,” published by Activision, is a gorgeous-looking, well-balanced shooter.
Is U.S. stuck in Internet's slow lane?
NEW YORK - The United States is starting to look like a slowpoke on the Internet. Examples abound of countries that have faster and cheaper broadband connections, and more of their population connected to them.
What's less clear is how badly the country that gave birth to the Internet is doing, and whether the government needs to step in and do something about it. The Bush administration has tried to foster broadband adoption with a hands-off approach. If that's seen as a failure by the next administration, the policy may change.
In a move to get a clearer picture of where the U.S. stands, the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday approved legislation that would develop an annual inventory of existing broadband services — including the types, advertised speeds and actual number of subscribers — available to households and businesses across the nation
Quick Bytes
ZEROtherm BTF92 OC Edition CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Lian Li PC-B58 Mid-Tower Case: Non-Production Release @ Benchmark Reviews
Ultra m998 Midtower Case Review @ OCIA.net
OCZ ATV Turbo USB 2.0 Flash Drive @ Pro-Clockers
Gateway One PC Review @ Digital Trends
Glacialtech Igloo 7311 Silent Athlon64 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com
Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler Review @ NGOHQ.com
Antazone AS-H7000 Notebook Heatspreader @ Hardware-Mods.com
Zerotherm BTF92 Overclocker Edition @ techPowerUp
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| VH News: Tuesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 @ 1:37 |
| Asustek's low-cost laptop coming to U.S.
San Francisco (IDGNS) - Asustek Computer's Linux-based Eee PC laptop will soon be on sale in North America and Europe, and the company plans to offer a version running Windows XP by the end of the year.
The Eee PC is a low-cost laptop designed primarily for children and emerging markets such as India. It weighs less than a kilogram, has a 7-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screen and can connect to the Internet wirelessly. The first version went on sale earlier this month in Asia, including in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where it's priced at about NT$11,100 (US$340)
Windows XP will double the price of Asustek's Eee PC
San Francisco (IDGNS) - Adding Windows XP to Asustek Computer's Eee PC will double the price of the low-cost laptop compared to existing versions running Linux.
The company will sell a version of the Eee PC with Windows XP in mature markets such as the U.S. and Europe for around US$1,000, while a configuration aimed at emerging market nations will cost about $500, said Jerry Shen, president of Asustek, during an investors conference Tuesday in Beitou, Taiwan.
Yahoo adds media playing, languages to messaging
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Internet media company Yahoo Inc said on Tuesday it is adding media-playing features, large file transfers, new languages and other tools to its instant messaging service.
The move comes as a growing number of rivals -- from incumbents like AOL to social network sites like News Corp's MySpace -- boost their positions in the market for instant messaging services.
Google plan sees phones by mid-2008: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Web search leader Google Inc is expected to announce advanced software and services enabling handset makers to bring Google-powered phones to market by mid-2008, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The announcement is expected to come within the next two weeks, the newspaper reported.
Quick Bytes
Mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) XP2-6400 Memory Review @ OCC
Ultra Products M998 Mid-Tower Case @ hi-techreviews.com
ASUS GeForce 8600GT OC Gear 256MB @ Phoronix
Buffalo DriveStation TurboUSB Review @ Digital Trends
Crysis Demo 'Very High' Settings Hack @ ngohq
Glacialtech Igloo 7222 Light Athlon64 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com
Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 2GB DDR3-1600 Memory Kit Review @ PCSTATS.com
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 Premium @ techPowerUp
Digit-Life Review: Gigabyte MA69G-S3H - a Motherboard Based on AMD 690G (Socket AM2) Chipset
I4U: Razer Pro|Solutions Pro|Click Mobile Notebook Mouse Review
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 CPU Cooler @ Altgamer
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 CPU Cooler @ Pro-Clockers
Planar 24-inch PX2411W Wide-Screen @ Techgage
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 Intel/AMD CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews.net
Swiftech H2O 120 Compact Review - XSReviews
OCZ Technology 4GB PC2-5400 Vista Upgrade Edition DDR2 Review @ Bigbruin.com
Phantasmic Case Modification Guide Part 2 @ TechwareLabs
Titan Elena VGA Cooler vs. MACS m-sorceress VGA Cooler Review on Technic3D
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 Premium CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc
XFX Geforce 8800 GTS 320 Fatal1ty Video Card Review @ Madshrimps
MSI x38 Diamond Review - XSReviews
Calibre P860 Videocard reviewed at BurnOutPC.com
I4U: VIZIO 52-inch GV52L 1080p LCD TV Review
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| VH News: Monday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 29, 2007 @ 2:04 |
| NVIDIA Answers Gamers' Demands With NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
SANTA CLARA, CA—OCTOBER 29, 2007—The NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT, the latest in the standard-setting GeForce 8 Series of graphics processing units (GPUs), is hitting store shelves today. Specifically developed to answer enthusiast gamers’ demand for high-performing graphics at the $199 to $259 price point, GeForce 8800 GT offers a hyper-reactive, intensely robust gaming experience for the latest next-generation DirectX 10 games, such as Crysis, Hellgate: London, and Gears of War, as well as full support for current DirectX 9 games.
“When we introduced the GeForce 8 Series family, our most savvy customers and press demanded a product with 64 stream processors and a 256-bit memory interface to deliver more performance at the popular $199 to $259 price point. Today we decided to raise the bar and deliver GeForce 8800 GT with 112 stream processors, a fast 256-bit memory interface, and our second-generation PureVideo HD technology, giving our customers an incredible value proposition.” said Ujesh Desai, general manager of GeForce desktop GPUs at NVIDIA. “At this price point, gamers are getting more performance and features than ever before.”
Toshiba up on chips, power systems
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics group Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a jump in quarterly operating profit on Monday, thanks to solid flash memory chip prices and power plant sales, and raised its full-year outlook by 12 percent, closer to market estimates.
Family bets GPS will help beat teen's ticket
WINDSOR, California (AP) -- Given the option of contesting a traffic ticket, most motorists -- 19 out of 20 by some estimates -- would rather pay up than pit their word against a police officer's in court. Though courts do not routinely accept GPS readouts as evidence, somedrivers are starting to use them to challenge traffic violations.
A retired sheriff's deputy nevertheless hopes to beat the long odds of the law by setting the performance of a police officer's radar gun against the accuracy of the GPS tracking device he installed in his teenage stepson's car.
The retired deputy, Roger Rude, readily admits his 17-year-old stepson, Shaun Malone, enjoys putting the pedal to the metal. That's why he and Shaun's mother insisted on putting a global positioning system that monitors the location and speed of the boy's Toyota Celica.
Shaun complained bitterly about his electronic chaperone until it became his new best friend on July 4, when he was pulled over and cited for going 62 mph in a 45 mph zone.
Quick Bytes
Zotac GeForce 8800 GT @ techPowerUp
DH Review: Nvidia Geforce 8800GT's (Asus, MSI, XFX, Zotac)
LNVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT Video Card Preview @ Legit Reviews
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT Launch @ HotHardware.com
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT @ hardOCP
EVGA 8800GT 512MB Superclocked Edition Review @ Hardwarecanucks
BFG 8800 GT OC Launch / Review Article @ neoseeker
Intel QX9650 Yorkfield 45nm Penryn Quad-Core Processor Review @ Tweaknews.net
HDR Photography: Friends Don’t Let Friends Make Boring Pictures @ Bjorn3D
Zykon Z1 Gamer Mouse and P3 Mouse Pad Review on Technic3D
Tagan TG1300-U33 In The Zone Series 1300W Power Supply Review @ Bigbruin.com
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 Cooler Review @ HardwareLogic
ZEROtherm Hurricane HC92 CU8800 VGA Cooler at Modders-Inc
Intel Core 2 on 45nm: Performance, Overclocking, Power Usage @ Madshrimps | | | | |
| VH News: Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 29, 2007 @ 5:35 |
| Logitech G15 (Revision 2) Keyboard Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“The original G15 was meant to cater to a niche group of gamers and enthusiasts, and attempting to make it more "mainstream" by toning down some features totally defeats the original purpose. Added to this, the MSRP of the new G15 is $100 USD, compared to only $80 USD for the original G15 when it came out in 2005. This of course doesn't mean that the G15 v2 is a bad keyboard. On the contrary, I was very pleased with it, and compared with other options, I believe it is the best buy. On its own, the G15 v2 is a very good keyboard, and if the original G15 had not existed I would probably rate it as the best.“
Walgreen sees movie-burning DVD kiosks at stores
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walgreen plans to put kiosks that can make DVDs of popular movies in drugstore photo departments next year, using a new system that would increase selection while avoiding piracy.
Recent change in copy-protection rules governing DVDs have freed Walgreen and other retailers to tap this new movie market by letting consumers burn digital copies onto blank discs at stores, industry watchers said.
NBC, Fox to launch online video site
LOS ANGELES - NBC and Fox are set to launch an advertising-supported online video site that hosts programming from varied entertainment companies in a bid to seize viewers from Google Inc.'s YouTube, the broadcasters said.
A test version of the site, Hulu.com, goes online Monday, with plans to premiere a final version in a few months, company officials said.
The site, developed by News Corp. and NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co., offers free viewing of full-length films and TV episodes, supported by advertising.
Graphics card demand to boost in 2Q08
Although recent market observations noted that the graphics card market is facing problems due to the trend of notebooks replacing desktop PCs, and IGP (integrated graphics processor) performance continuously improving, sources at first-tier graphics card makers remain optimistic and believe that the market should see a boost in the second quarter of 2008.
With Windows Vista SP1 and more DirectX 10-based games scheduled to launch in 2008, demand for DirectX 10-based graphics cards should see a boost, noted the sources.
Additionally, 20 and 22-inch widescreen monitors should become mainstream products in 2008, pushing the average monitor resolution up to 1680×1050. This could cause users with integrated graphics to upgrade for better performance, added the sources.
Quick Bytes
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
ZEROtherm Hurricane HC92 Cu 8800 VGA Cooler Review @ OCC
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 @ Techgage
Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor QX9650 Review @ Legit Reviews
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 @ HotHardware.com
Antec Quattro 850W at Overclockers Online
ASUS P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
Hauppauge WinTV HVR 1300 PCI Karte @ Hardware-Mods.com
Diamond xDNA - CrossFire on any chipset with any cards @ NordicHardware
Logitech G51 Surround Sound Speaker System Review @ OCIA.net
Salagar Symphony S210 Speakers @ Digital Trends
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| VH News: Weekend Edition
Posted by Diceman on Sunday, October 28, 2007 @ 1:49 |
| Mushkin 2x1GB HP3-10666 DDR3 Memory Kit Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Given the state of the DDR3 supplies and how the market is continuing to speed up with more and more variations of kits available, it was no surprise when we received Mushkin's Enhanced HP3-10666 2GB Memory kit. This is the beginning launch of their DDR3 memory line following up their very successful DDR2 memory which we've been privileged to test. Given the history of their memory modules, we expect something formidable none the less. Thanks in part to ASUS, we have a motherboard well tuned and tested that can support these modules.”
Apple imposes new limits on iPhone sales
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Apple Inc. no longer accepts cash for iPhone purchases and now limits sales of the cell phone to two per person in a move to stop people from reselling them.
The new policy started Thursday, said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris. Before then, there was no cash restriction and the purchase limit was five per person.
"Customer response to the iPhone has been off the charts, and limiting iPhone sales to two per customer helps us ensure that there are enough iPhones for people who are shopping for themselves or buying a gift," Kerris said. "We're requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers."
MySpace to Add Free Games
Users of the MySpace.com social networking Website will be able to add multiplayer games to their personal profile pages, and play them for free, from next year. MySpace has struck a deal with Oberon Media Inc. to make available hundreds of casual games from its portfolio, the companies said Tuesday.
MySpace provides a platform on which individuals or groups can build Web pages known as personal profiles, showcasing their tastes or talents in music or other aspects of multimedia creation. With the games channel MySpace plans, those users will also be able to highlight their favorite games, and perhaps find others to play them with.
Quick Bytes
Thermalright IFX-14 CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Apevia X-Jupiter G Jr. Case Review @ OC Cafe
Sandio Game O 3D Mouse Review at Gamehelper.com
Logitech G9 Gaming Mouse Review @ Hardware Secrets
MSI GeForce NX8800GT 512MB Graphics Card @ tweaktown
Kingston DDR-3 14400U @ Hardwareoverclock Austria
Intel Core 2 Quad Performance: FSB @ NordicHardware
Revoltec Zirconium reviewed at BurnOutPC.com
Digit-Life Review: The Spiral of Technology
PQI Intelligent Drive i810 USB Flash Drive Review @ Rbmods
Heatpipes: The Investigation Begins @ Phoronix | | | | |
| VH News: Friday 2nd Ediiton
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 26, 2007 @ 5:40 |
| Sapphire HD2400XT and HD2600XT Graphics Cards Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Whether you want a sub $100 budget card or a sub $200 mid-range card, either one of these will be a good choice. Both cards performed well and with the new PCMark Vantage benchmark tests, you can see the Frames Per Second in the gaming GPU test. The XD2600XT doubled the FPS over the XD2400XT in gaming, but in the video playback and transcoding, results are almost identical. Each card comes with a DVI to HDMI adapter and this makes either card ideal for a home entertainment setup.”
Activision poised to score with "Guitar Hero 3"
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Activision Inc is set to launch "Guitar Hero 3" amid expectations that the latest installment of its music-themed franchise will be a platinum hit for the second-biggest U.S. video game publisher.
The game is the highly anticipated encore to one of the year's breakout successes, "Guitar Hero 2", which sold 3.9 million copies through September, according to market research firm NPD.
The game has become a cultural phenomenon. Bars have held "Guitar Hero" competitions and fans have uploaded videos of their best performances to the Internet. A search for "Guitar Hero" on YouTube returns 76,100 results.
Pentagon robot challenge goes corporate
LOS ANGELES - When the Pentagon's research arm first called for innovators to design and race a self-driving car to make warfare safer, a ragtag bunch of garage tinkerers, computer geeks and even high school students answered.
No one won the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's inaugural contest in 2004. An encore the following year produced five robots that crossed the finish line, and a team from Stanford University drove away with the $2 million prize.
If yesteryear's contests evoked the Wild West, with teams working in the open desert on a shoestring budget, this year's is modern: The field is more savvy, the terrain is urban and corporate sponsors and public relations machines have entered the fray.
"They've become like NASCAR teams with multiple sponsors and stickers on everything," said Peter Singer, a Brookings Institution senior fellow who has followed the DARPA competitions. "It shows that it's becoming big business."
Leopard, uncaged: Mac OS X upgrade debuts
Leopard, the new version of Apple's operating system, hits stores Friday with a wide array of new features to check out, from Time Machine to Cover Flow to iChat Theater. | | | | |
| VH News: Friday Ediiton
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 26, 2007 @ 2:02 |
| AMD Black Edition CPU may not help AMD-based motherboard demand
Although AMD has launched the Black Edition Athlon 64 X2 5000+ CPU with an unlocked multiplier, some motherboard makers are taking a conservative view over whether the CPU will help win back market share, according to sources at motherboard makers.
Some motherboard makers have no plans to adjust their current shipment proportions since they do not think the Black Edition CPUs will lead to any increase in demand for AMD motherboard, noted the sources.
Microsoft sees progress in getting Windows on XO
BOSTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has made progress in getting its Windows software to work on a low-cost laptop computer for poor children that currently runs on rival Linux software, an executive said on Thursday.
The world's largest software company is now working to adapt a basic version of Windows XP so it is compatible with the nonprofit One Laptop per Child Foundation's small green-and-white XO laptop.
"We're spending a nontrivial amount of money on it," Microsoft Corporate Vice President Will Poole said in an interview on Thursday.
CNet sells Webshots for $45 million
SAN FRANCISCO - Online technology news and entertainment provider CNet Networks Inc. has sold photo-sharing site Webshots to American Greetings Corp. for $45 million, substantially less than the service cost to acquire three years ago.
The San Francisco-based company announced the deal Thursday along with its third-quarter financial results. CNet suffered a loss of $16.6 million during the three months ended in September, widening from a loss of $2.3 million at the same time last year.
The Webshots sale represented another setback because CNet bought the site for $70 million in 2004. Since then, Webshots has faced tougher competition from other photo sharing services such as Yahoo Inc.'s Flickr.
Gateway to launch laptop series in Q1
San Francisco (IDGNS) - The new Gateway will launch a complete line of notebook PCs as one of many steps to revitalize its business after merging with Acer, an Acer executive said Friday.
"Gateway's problem in the U.S. is that it mainly sells desktops, but the notebook is the fastest growing segment," said Gianfranco Lanci, president of Acer, during the company's third quarter investors conference in Taipei.
New Gateway laptop PCs could be out as early as the first quarter of next year. Lanci said that no changes to Gateway's product lineup will be visible until then because it takes at least one quarter to discuss new products with retailers and distributors.
Quick Bytes
Patriot PC3-15000 DDR3 1866MHz 2GB RAM Kit @ Benchmark Reviews
Sapphire HD 2600Pro AGP Review @ OCC
JVC TH-L1 Home Theater Review @ Digital Trends
Pinnacle PCTV HD PCI Video Capture Card Review @ ocnodshop
Ultra X3 Modular PSU @ Bjorn3D
DH Review: Hiper 5M730 PSU
Thermalright HR-11 VGA Backside Cooler Review @ HardwareLogic
Antec Truepower Quattro 850W versus Silverstone Decathlon 850W PSU Review @ Hardwarecanucks
USB Portable Paper Shredder from USBGeek @ DragonSteelMods
Plustek Book Reader Review on Technic3D | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 25, 2007 @ 10:24 |
| Lapinator vs. Lapinator Plus Comparison Updated! @ Virtual-Hideout
“It's been almost 2 years since I originally reviewed the Lapinator line of laptop desks. Seldom does any product stick around long enough in my house to be worthy of an update on the review, but the Lapinator Plus is the exception.”
OCZ Technology Group Acquires Renowned System Builder, Hypersonic PC
Sunnyvale, Calif.—October 25, 2007—OCZ today announced immediate plans to bring Hypersonic PC into the OCZ Technology Group. Known primarily as the worldwide leader in innovative, high-performance computer memory and power supply units, OCZ acquired Hypersonic PC to employ their rich expertise in high-end system building and take the organization and mobile gaming to the next level. Hypersonic has been paving the way in maximum performance computing since 1996 and established themselves as a leader attributable to their diligent focus on technology, quality, craftsmanship, and world-class support. Under the OCZ Technology Group, the Hypersonic vision can be taken to new heights and grow in key areas of innovation, product development, and market reach.
Combined with their highly personalized solutions and aggressive deployment of the newest advances in PC technology, Hypersonic has earned numerous industry awards and recognition and filled the enthusiast niche unlike any system builder. Their extensive product line includes highly-tuned gaming systems, cutting-edge notebooks, and powerful workstations and is a culmination of their dedication to their craft and the end-user.
With OCZ taking the lead, the goal is to carry on the Hypersonic tradition of catering to the demands of the high-end market while increasing resources to maximize innovation and technological leadership and at the same time maintaining their high level of service, quality-control, and customization. Hypersonic PC’s time-honored reputation for putting the extreme enthusiast and gamer at the forefront of product design and development can now be taken to the next level with the acquisition.
Quick Bytes
Gigabyte Triton 180 Case Review @ Tweaknews.net
Asus Blitz Formula Motherboard @ Viper Lair
Fansis FS-PSU Review - XSReviews
The ASRock 4Core1333-Viiv Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
Akasa Revo CPU Cooler @ techPowerUp
OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 Gold Edition Memory @ Pro-Clockers
Samsung SCX-4500 MFP @ DreamWare Computers | | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday 3rd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 25, 2007 @ 12:03 |
| Microsoft buys Facebook stake for $240M
SAN FRANCISCO - Rapidly rising Internet star Facebook Inc. has sold a 1.6 percent stake to Microsoft Corp. for $240 million, spurning a competing offer from online search leader Google Inc.
Culminating weeks of negotiations, the investment announced Wednesday values Palo Alto-based Facebook at $15 billion — a stunning figure for an online hangout started in a Harvard University dorm room less than four years ago.
Microsoft also will sell Internet ads for Facebook as the site expands outside the United States, broadening a marketing relationship that began last year.
eBay site lets people finance the world's poor
NEW YORK (Reuters) - EBay Inc, the world's largest online auctioneer and payments company, launched on Wednesday a Web site allowing ordinary investors to buy securities aimed at improving conditions in the world's poorest countries.
MicroPlace, located at http://www.microplace.com, will allow people to invest as little as $100 to support development in impoverished areas.
So-called microfinance is the supply of loans, savings, insurance and other basic financial services to low-income households and businesses, typically without collateral. It is often conducted in emerging economies, where people cannot typically obtain bank loans.
Blu-ray outsells HD-DVD in U.S. for first 9 months
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Blu-ray DVD titles outsold rival HD-DVD titles by almost 2-to-1 in the first nine months of the year, but analysts expect additional HD-DVD support and new hit releases to "transform" the high-definition DVD battle score in the fourth quarter.
I don't care. I still love my HD-DVD!
NOTICE TO PURCHASERS OF SEAGATE BRAND HARD DISC DRIVES FROM MARCH 22, 2001 TO SEPTEMBER 26, 2007
You are a member of the Settlement Class if, between March 22, 2001, and September 26, 2007, you purchased in the United States a new Seagate Retail Hard Drive. A "Retail Hard Drive" is a Seagate brand hard disc drive that you purchased from an authorized Seagate retailer or distributor, separately as a Seagate product that was not pre-installed into and sold bundled with a personal computer or other electronic device
Mushkin HP3-10666 2GB DDR3-1333 Memory Kit Review @ PCSTATS.com
"The Mushkin memory that's up for testing today is its 2GB HP3-10666 (DDR3-1333) memory kit. By default the memory is rated to run at 1333 MHz with low CAS latency timings of 6-7-6-18, on a voltage of 1.7-1.8V. Much of the DDR3 memory on the market has a CAS Latency of 7 or 8, so Mushkin's memory here will perform faster clock for clock compared to the competition!" | | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 @ 6:17 |
| Comcast Impersonates Users To Control P2P Traffic
Comcast interferes with peer-to-peer traffic on its cable network by masquerading as users and resetting connections, the Associated Press reported on Friday. Apparently in an effort to maintain quality of service, Comcast cuts off uploads of files to BitTorrent and other P2P networks.
While observers agree that an Internet service provider needs to be able manage its traffic, the way Comcast is going about this -- by impersonating customers -- is troubling to many.
"Comcast is in an interesting position because the amount of outbound and inbound traffic is constrained in their network," Dane Jasper, CEO of Sonic.net, a California ISP, said in a telephone interview. "In an asynchronous network, as the amount of outbound traffic grows, inbound rates will decrease." Thus in order to maintain service quality for inbound traffic, which is important to all users, Comcast is throttling outbound P2P traffic.
Facebook users can poke friends via BlackBerry. Application also will let users receive messages and upload photos
TORONTO - BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has launched Facebook software designed especially for its smartphones to make it easier for users to browse the popular social networking Web site.
T-Mobile USA has been chosen as the first carrier to provide the new software to its customers, RIM said on Wednesday.
The application will let users receive Facebook notifications and messages automatically and scroll through them quickly, just like the e-mail service for which the BlackBerry is already well known. Users can also read and compose messages even while off line, RIM said.
Facebook near deal with Google or Microsoft: reports
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Online social network Facebook is close to reaching a deal with Google Inc or Microsoft Corp for an investment that would value the company as high as $15 billion, according to media reports on Wednesday.
A Facebook deal would include an agreement with the investing company to handle its overseas advertising sales, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
AMD tri-core CPU codenames and features revealed
Codenames and features of the tri-core CPUs AMD is planning to launch next year and in 2009 have been revealed by sources at motherboard makers.
Toliman adopts a 65nm process, supports socket AM2+ motherboards, and supports HyperTransport 3.0. The CPUs will have 2MB L3 cache and will be launched by the end of March 2008, according to the sources.
The next-generation, 45nm-based CPUs will adopt socket AM3, support HyperTransport 3.0 and DDR2/DDR3 memory, and will launch in first half of 2009, noted the sources.
Quick Bytes
Corsair Voyager GT @ Bjorn3D
Kingwin Revolution RVT-9225 Heatpipe Direct Touch CPU Cooler Review @ Bigbruin.com
Hate the Price of InkJet Cartidges? Try a Different Kind of Printer @ pcmech
Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray Disc Player Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Cooler Master Sphere CPU Cooler Review @ HardwareLogic
Logitech G9 Laser Gaming Mouse @ ASE Labs
ASUS Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1 PCI Sound Card @ HotHardware.com
ATP ToughDrive Mini 2GB Review - XSReviews
Digit-Life Review: ECS GeForce 8600 GT - Factory Overclocking and Passive Cooling
Sapphire ATI RADEON HD 2600XT at Modders-Inc
ATP Petito 2GB Review @ XSReviews
OCZ ATV Turbo 4GB Review - XSReviews
DH Review: Zalman Headsets (ZM-RS6F USB and ZM-DS4F) | | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 @ 5:23 |
| Kingwin Z1 External HDD Enclosure Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Overall these Kingwin Z1 hard drive enclosures are of good quality and the kit includes everything you need to get up and running other than the hard drive itself. The ability to use wither USB 2.0 or e-SATA is a nice option if you're switching between maybe a main rig with e-SATA and an older rig with only USB ports.”
OCZ Technology Announces 500W StealthXStream PSU, a Power Management Solution with Excellent Value
Sunnyvale, CA—October 23, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high-reliability memory and power supplies, today announced the new 500 Watt StealthXStream Power Supply to offer a sufficient source of power for mainstream gaming PCs. The 500W edition features the same understated look as its 600W predecessor with a sleek black case and unlit fan for the value-conscious consumer seeking effective, quiet performance. Qualified under the watchful eye of the Power Management division at PC Power & Cooling, the StealthXStream is built for superior reliability at an extremely affordable price point.
Quick Bytes
Genius ErgoMedia 500 Review @ TechwareLabs
SteelSeries S&S Gaming Surface @ Pro-Clockers
Saitek Cyborg Gamepad Review @ OCC
Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi Review @ neoseeker
ASUS Maximus Formula Special Edition @ Techgage
MSI NX8600GTS OC Video Card Review @ OCIA.net
Asus Xonar D2 Sound Card @ APH Networks
ACRyan AluBox reviewed at BurnOutPC.com
Shure SE310 Canalphones Review @ Digital Trends
OCZ DDR3 PC3-14400 Platinum 2 GB @ techPowerUp
| | | | |
| VH News: Tuesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 @ 5:13 |
| GIGABYTE iSolo 210 ATX Chassis Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Gigabyte has been around for some time and is widely considered a top competitor in the enthusiast motherboard market. However in recent times they have expanded their product line to cover video cards, powers supplies, CPU cooling and chassis. Today I have a chance to review the Gigabyte iSolo 210 case, their newest addition to their budget line of cases, this steel case may not possess all of the exciting features found in the enthusiast level chassis line they offer, but let’s dig in and see how this case stacks up in its price range.”
Ultra's new 3.5" Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler with Heatpipes
Keep your hard drive running a peak efficiency by keeping it as cool as possible. The Ultra Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler with Heatpipes dissipates heat efficiently and quietly. The hard drive cooler features passive thermal heat dissipation using fan-less operation, high-performance sintered powder heatpipes and top heatsink fins. The rubber dampers reduce your hard drives noise and vibration to make your PC run as quiet as possible. Make your hard drive run quieter and cooler with Ultra’s Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler with Heatpipes today!
StumbleUpon shares friends' reviews of major sites
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - StumbleUpon, a fast rising Web search site bought by eBay Inc in May, is moving beyond automated Web discovery to offer a novel way to see what friends find useful or interesting on the Web.
StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com), which has attracted 3.7 million consumers to its easy-to-use "thumbs up/thumbs down" ratings of Web sites and videos, said on Monday it plans to introduce a new SearchReviews feature on major Web sites.
British, Dutch police close major pirate site. OiNK Web site distributed albums before their official release
LONDON - British and Dutch police shut down what they say is one the world's biggest online sources of pirated music Tuesday and arrested the Web site's 24-year-old suspected operator.
The invitation-only OiNK Web site specialized in distributing albums leaked before their official release by record companies, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said.
Many among OiNK's estimated 180,000 members paid "donations" to upload or download albums, often weeks before their release, and within hours albums would be distributed through public forums and blogs across the Internet. Users were invited to the site if they could prove they had music to share, the IFPI said.
Cisco to buy Navini for $330 million
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Cisco Systems Inc. is snapping up privately held Navini Networks Inc. for $330 million, extending the networking equipment maker's acquisition streak and providing the latest validation for the new wireless network technology called WiMax.
Cisco, the world's largest maker of routers and switches to direct traffic over the Internet, said Tuesday that Navini's technology will help it build high-speed Internet networks deep in emerging markets where traditional Internet infrastructure doesn't exist or is spotty.
Unlike Wi-Fi networks, which are found in homes and cafes and typically have a range of just a few hundred yards, WiMax networks can extend for miles and blanket entire cities with broadband connectivity.
Web sites offer DNA testing
NEW YORK - Two services launching just a week apart tap a growing interest in DNA testing to help people find their ancestors and learn more about their lives.
GeneTree, which opens Tuesday, and Ancestry.com, which started its DNA Ancestry service last Tuesday, both sell DNA kits for less than $200. Users can build online family trees and contact others with DNA matches to compare family histories.
Quick Bytes
Aperion Audio Intimus 422 Harmony Speakers Contest @ Digital Trends
8800 GTS Hurricane "Luxury Edition" @ Hardware-Mods.com
Digit-Life Review: HIS RADEON HD 2900 PRO 512MB
Vvikoo 8600GT Turbo Review - XSReviews
Edifier M3400 2.1 Speaker System Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Rosewill RX-358-S-SLV eSATA and USB Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ Bigbruin.com
NVIDIA 8600 GT DDR2 vs DDR3 in 12 Games @ Madshrimps
Intel X38 Chipsatz am ASUS P5E3 Deluxe @ ocaholic.ch
Razer Diamondback 3G Gaming Mouse Reviewed @ TheTechLounge
Lian Li PC-B25B Black Aluminum Mid-Tower ATX Case @ BmR
Zotac Technology 256MB geForce 8600GTS Graphics Card Review @ OCIA.net
Scythe Kamacross CPU cooler @ Pro-Clockers
Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. S Type Review @ OCC
Thermaltake TMG i1 CPU Cooler @ Hardware Secrets
HP Compaq 2510p Laptop Review @ Digital Trends
MSI RX2600XT Diamond Radeon HD 2600XT Videocard Review @ PCSTATS.com
Zalman CNPS7800 LED Heatsink Review @ hi-techreviews.com
| | | | |
| VH News. Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 22, 2007 @ 3:35 |
| Microsoft finally bows to EU antitrust measures
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp ended three years of resistance on Monday, finally agreeing to comply with a landmark 2004 antitrust decision by the European Commission.
The defeated software giant announced it would not appeal against a decisive European Union court ruling two months ago that backed the bloc's executive Commission.
"The repercussions of these changes will start now and will continue for years to come," Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes told a news conference, adding that Microsoft's agreement would have "profound effects" on the software industry.
Nintendo tops EA in annual industry list. Game Developer magazine added reputation feedback to methodology
This year, Mario trumps “Madden.”
Maybe not in overall revenues, but according to the top 20 publisher’s list, put out annually by Game Developer Magazine, Nintendo leveled up on Electronic Arts this year.
How? It wasn’t pure financials, although Nintendo was competitive in that respect. And it wasn’t due to number of releases: Nintendo shipped just 32 games last year. EA shipped 116.
Staples to sell Dell PCs
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Dell Inc. plans to sell computers and other electronics gear at 1,400 Staples Inc. stores, the latest departure from the direct-to-customer business model pioneered by the No. 2 computer maker.
Dell and the world's biggest office products supplier announced Monday that Staples would offer Dell desktop and notebook computers, monitors, printers, ink and toner starting Nov. 11. Dell products also will be available through Staples' Web site.
Initial Dell computer models to be sold at Staples include Inspiron 1721 and 1521 notebooks, and Inspiron 530 desktops.
Quick Bytes
VVIKOO GeForce 8600 GT Turbo @ techPowerUp
AMD DTX Small Form Factor System Sneak Peek @ HotHardware.com
Gigabyte Radeon HD2600XT DDR3 @ Hardwareoverclock Austria
Danger Den Torture Rack Review @ HardwareLogic
ASUS P5E3 Deluxe @ Phoronix
Zalman VF1000 LED Video Card Cooler Review @ Madshrimps
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 @ Bjorn3D
APEVIA X-Jupiter Jr. G Type Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Altec Lansing inMotion iMV712 Review @ OCC
Trendnet TEW-633GR Wireless N Gigabit Router Review @ thetechzone
Cooler Master CM690 Chassis Review @ OCIA.net
Zalman Reserator XT at Overclockers Online
Coolmax CUQ-1200B Green Power 1200 Watt ATX Power Supply Review @ Tweaknews.net
High-Speed DDR3 Overclocking and Review Series @ BmR
The Baby-SATA Cable Mod by Metku.net
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| VH News: Weekend 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Sunday, October 21, 2007 @ 3:03 |
| Media Giants Agree on Web Copyright Rules
Forrester analyst James McQuivey said that the agreement between Disney, Microsoft, NBC Universal, and others over posting copyright-protected content online is not a step forward. "All it did was put in one place the arguments that they have been making behind closed doors," he said, adding that it doesn't propose a specific technology.
Ballmer: Microsoft search is 'precocious toddler'
SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer compared the company's search technology to a precocious toddler — one who would eventually grow up to rival nemesis Google.
During an animated discussion at the Web 2.0 Summit moderated by organizer John Battelle, Ballmer took a paternal tone, saying Microsoft's own Web search technology needed improvements.
"You're just 3 years old, and we've got you in there playing basketball with a 12-year-old," Ballmer gushed and gesticulated, nearly popping out of his seat. "You're growing up quick and getting better every day, and you've got all the potential in world, and it may take you 'til you're 7, 8, 9 or 10, but you're gonna dunk and you're gonna dunk on the other guy some day, Johnny."
AP tests Comcast's file-sharing filter
NEW YORK - To test claims by users that Comcast Corp. was blocking some forms of file-sharing traffic, The Associated Press went to the Bible.
An AP reporter attempted to download, using file-sharing program BitTorrent, a copy of the King James Bible from two computers in the Philadelphia and San Francisco areas, both of which were connected to the Internet through Comcast cable modems.
We picked the Bible for the test because it's not protected by copyright and the file is a convenient size.
In two out of three tries, the transfer was blocked. In the third, the transfer started only after a 10-minute delay. When we tried to upload files that were in demand by a wider number of BitTorrent users, those connections were also blocked.
Google Execs Really Do Hate Evil
At the last day of the Web 2.0 Summit, attendees learned that having their genome mapped will set them back US$300,000 and that Google Inc.'s founders really stress over the prevention and extermination of evil.
ADVERTISEMENT
During a panel of former Google employees, they confirmed to moderator and conference chair John Battelle that, yes, Larry Page and Sergey Brin do factor heavily into business and technology decisions whether they will have evil consequences.
Quick Bytes
AeroCool AeroEngine-Plus ATX Case Review @ Legit Reviews
Zalman ZM-MFC2 Review @ OC Cafe
Apevia X-Jupiter Type G Tower Case Review @ OCIA.net
AeroCool GateWatch Fan Controller Review @ FusionMods.Net
Asus PG221 22" Widescreen LCD @ HotHardware.com
G.Skill PC2-6400 (2GBHK) 2GB DDR2-800 Kit Review @ MVKTech
Spire CoolForce IV VGA Cooler Review on Technic3D
Interview: Chris Pirillo, from Lockergnome | | | | |
| VH News: Friday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 19, 2007 @ 1:44 |
| ASUS Blitz Formula & Blitz Extreme Motherboards Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“ASUS has been gracious in providing us with two enthusiast minded solutions for both DDR2 and DDR3 utilizing the same P35 chipset, in the Blitz Formula and Blitz Extreme. Why would ASUS consider offering the two options? Well in a nut shell, it simply saves you some money since new memory standards are always costly at the start and some users would like to really maximize their DDR2 based system. ASUS is well aware of this and felt that there was no reason why both kinds of memory module owners couldn't have a little bit of cake and ice cream. The only question you would need to ask yourself is, which flavor ice cream you would like.”
Comcast blocks some Internet traffic. Tests confirm data discrimination by number 2 U.S. service provider
NEW YORK - Comcast Corp. actively interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic equally.
The interference, which The Associated Press confirmed through nationwide tests, is the most drastic example yet of data discrimination by a U.S. Internet service provider. It involves company computers masquerading as those of its users.
If widely applied by other ISPs, the technology Comcast is using would be a crippling blow to the BitTorrent, eDonkey and Gnutella file-sharing networks. While these are mainly known as sources of copyright music, software and movies, BitTorrent in particular is emerging as a legitimate tool for quickly disseminating legal content.
Solo games live on in multiplayer world
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Video game developers, eager to please all consumers, are increasingly including features that let gamers play with or against their friends.
With Microsoft trying to convince people to plunk down $50 a year for its Xbox Live service, and Sony eyeing the sale of movies and music over its fledgling network, developers are under more pressure than ever to include some sort of online component.
The best-known example may be Microsoft's "Halo 3", but last week also saw the release of "The Orange Box" -- a collection of "Half-Life 2" content from Electronic Arts that includes a long-awaited multiplayer-only title called "Team Fortress 2". The week before that had the launch of "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars" from Activision.
Officials hail satellite rescue system
WASHINGTON - At first Megan Minor thought the warnings her ship was sinking were just another drill, until she looked toward the engine room and saw water coming up the stairs.
Thanks to rapid response based on satellite signals, she and the crew of the Jacob Alan were quickly rescued, she said Friday at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Search-and-Rescue satellite system.
When Minor was plucked from the Atlantic Ocean off Massachusetts on Sept. 28, she became one of more than 22,000 individuals worldwide who have been rescued in the 25 years the COSPAS-SARSAT system has been operating.
Quick Bytes:
Apevia X-QPack 2 @ techPowerUp
Ultra X3 800w Modular Power Supply Review @ OCIA.net
Foxconn "Digital Life" X38A (Intel X38) @ hardwarezone
LaCie 2big Triple (2TB) Hard Drive Review @ Digital Trends
ASUS P5K3 Deluxe WIFI AP Edition @ Bjorn3D
Antec Neopower 650W Blue Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laptop Mouse @ APH Networks
LapWorks Futura Desk @ TechwareLabs
AeroCool AeroEngine-Plus ATX Case Review @ Legit Reviews
Give Windows XP That Vista Feeling @ pcmech
Asus PG221 22" Widescreen LCD @ HotHardware.com
| | | | |
| VH News: Friday Outage Edition
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 19, 2007 @ 1:41 |
| | Hey guys. In case you didn't notice this morning, VH was down for about 12 hours. I was doing some maintenance, etc. Just wanted to let you know we're back up 100% and nothing was wrong. We're not going anywhere, no worries. Thanks for your patience and sorry if there was any inconvenience. | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 18, 2007 @ 1:13 |
| OCZ Technology Introduces Two New Titanium Edition Memory Kits, Coupling Low Latencies with High Speeds to Meet Enthusiast Demands
Sunnyvale, CA—October 17, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced two new PC2-6400 Titanium Edition dual channel kits. These modules feature enhanced timings with low latencies, and are the ultimate upgrade in performance or capacity for gamers and enthusiasts in need of a rock solid memory kit.
As part of the OCZ Titanium series, the PC2-6400 CL3 Edition modules are engineered to satisfy the demands of overclockers and enthusiasts, delivering the tight latencies and speed gamers require for today’s graphic-intensive DirectX 10 PC games. The PC2-6400 Titanium CL3 Edition tackles your toughest computing experience at blistering 3-4-4 timings at 800MHz, offering superior bandwidth and stability on the latest platforms.
For enthusiasts shifting to Vista and who need the performance of high speed memory, the PC2-6400 Titanium 4GB kit is the ideal upgrade from the standard 2GB of RAM. The OCZ PC-6400 4GB Titanium series was developed to provide a superior computing experience that ensures the best possible gaming and productivity, and at incredible 4-4-4 timings offers tighter timings than typical 4GB kits.
“Because Vista allows physical address extension as integral part of the operating system, users are no longer limited to the 2GB user memory space but can take full advantage of the new 4GB kits, even in a 32-bit computing environment,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “Both these new low latency modules and kits are OCZ’s contribution to enhanced user experience in demanding applications or mega-tasking environments.”
Apple to open iPhone for developers
SAN JOSE, Calif. - In an apparent about-face, Apple Inc. will allow third-party applications to work directly on the iPhone, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a posting on the company's Web site Wednesday. Apple infuriated developers and some iPhone users when it issued a software update Sept. 27 that disabled unofficial programs installed on the handsets.
Until Wednesday, Apple had tried to control which applications consumers had on their iPhones.
Now, Jobs said the company intends to release a software development kit in February that will let coders create applications to work directly on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The Touch is the new iPod portable player that resembles the iPhone but lacks the function of a cell phone.
Quick Bytes:
Sirtec HighPower RockSolid 1000W PSU @ techPowerUp
OCZ HydroJet CPU Cooler Prototype (2nd version) @ Hardware Secrets
the Zalman Z-Machine GT1000 @ HotHardware.com
MSI K9AG Neo2-Digital AMD 690G Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com
Logisys 550W LED Acrylic Power Supply @ GideonTech.com
Digit-Life Review: Motherboard Roundup: 12 Solutions on AMD 690G (Socket AM2) Chipset
Tt Mozart iP iPod HTPC Case Review @ OC Cafe
Apevia X-Jupiter Jr G Mid Tower ATX Case @ Benchmark Reviews
Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset Review @ OCC
Rosewill R6AS5 PC Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Kingwin Z1 Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ Tweaknews.net
Altec Lansing FX3020 SoundBar @ Techgage
SouthWing SH505 Bluetooth Headset Review @ Legit Reviews
I4U: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB HDD Review
OCZ Vanquisher CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc
Futuremark PCMark Vantage @ Techgage
Futuremark PCMark Vantage @ Bjorn3D
Kingston 4GB DataTraveler 100 @ TechwareLabs
Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ Bigbruin.com
| | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 @ 1:52 |
| CoolerMaster Gemin II CPU Cooler Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“When this next item was offered up for review, I jumped on the opportunity right away. I seem to get weird, off-the-wall items to review *cough*Bat case*cough* and, well, this next item definitely falls into the weird category. The item in question is the Gemin II from CoolerMaster, or as I like to call it, "The Griddle". The Gemin II is a large, low sitting cooler designed to not only cool the CPU, but many of the other motherboard components around the CPU, like the capacitor and RAM. The Gemin II uses two 120mm fans (not included) to cool its large surface.”
Best Buy ends sales of analog TVs. Electronics retailer said it will stop selling products Oct. 1
MINNEAPOLIS - Best Buy Co. said Wednesday it has stopped selling analog televisions and pulled all remaining stock from its shelves, signalling the end of an era as consumers increasingly move toward digital products with flat-panel and high-definition screens.
Best Buy, one of the nation's top electronics retailers, heralded the reign of digital TVs, saying it made the move "as the end of the analog broadcast era draws near." Best Buy instructed stores to stop selling the products on Oct. 1.
Sprint to introduce touch-screen phone
NEW YORK - It's official: touch screens are the big new thing in cell phones this holiday season.
Sprint Nextel Corp. announced Wednesday it is jumping on the bandwagon with the Touch by HTC. Like Apple Inc.'s iPhone, this smart phone has only a few buttons and is designed to be controlled by touching the screen. The Touch will go on sale Nov. 4 for $250 with a two-year contract.
Sex, Nazi, burrito and Viagra: Who Googles what?
BERLIN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Internet users in Egypt, India and Turkey are the world's most frequent searchers for Web sites using the keyword "sex" on Google search engines, according to statistics provided by Google Inc.
Germany, Mexico and Austria were world's top three searchers of the word "Hitler" while "Nazi" scored the most hits in Chile, Australia and the United Kingdom, data from 2004 to the present retrievable on the "Google Trends" Web site showed.
Chile also came in first place searching for the word "gay", followed by Mexico and Colombia.
Asustek Eee PC goes on sale in Taiwan
Asustek Computer's low-cost Eee PC notebook has gone on sale in Taiwan with pricing at online retailers at around NT$11,655 (US$358). This is much higher than the price of US$199 Asustek originally promoted for the portable PC, but this was to be as expected as Asustek recently admitted that the lower price would only be available for bulk purchases of a model with lower specifications, and which is intended for emerging markets.
The model now on sale in Taiwan features a 7-inch LCD display, 4GB solid state storage, 512MB DDR2 RAM and runs on an Intel mobile processor. Weight is given as 920g. The devices also features three USB 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi b/g connectivity, a VGA output, two audio jacks, Secure Digital (SD) card reader (which according to earlier reports also supports SDHC cards), webcam, speakers, and LAN and modem ports. Battery life is listed as 3.5 hours.
Quick Bytes:
Sub $400 Budget AMD System Review @ Madshrimps
Foxconn A690GM2MA-RS2H AMD 690G Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com
GIGABYTE GA-G33M-S2H @ Bjorn3D
A Look At The 2nd Generation Microsoft Zune @ The TechZone
Envision H190L 19-inch LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Moneual Labs MonCaso 932P Platinum HTPC Enclosure Review @ OCIA.net
NZXT Lexa Blackline Case Review @ OCC
eDimensional AudioFX Pro 5+1 Headset by BenHeck @ 3dgameman
Apack Zerotherm GX810 vga cooler @ Hardwareoverclock Austria
Using the XBox 360 as an HTPC with uShare @ BIOSLEVEL.com
Chill Factor vs. Liquid Pro Thermal Paste review at Metku
Computer Building Guide (part 1 of 2) @ Rbmods
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| VH News: Tuesday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 @ 5:25 |
| CoolIT Chill Out Upgrade Program
If you have any computer CPU cooling system, no matter how old, no matter how functional, trade it in to us and we'll give you up to 30% off any of our products! Just visit the website for details!
iRegret: Apple's smartphone isn't so smart. No measurable improvements to this remarkably inventive device
My feeling toward my iPhone has gone from reasonably hopeful to hopeless regret.
When I purchased the iPhone the day they came out, I told myself that the long list of gripes was tolerable because Apple would very likely add so many of the missing features commonly found on every other smartphone. Simple things, like the ability to look up a contact by tapping in a few letters, or a way to copy and paste information from an e-mail or Web page into a contact or note card.
Napster relaunches with Web-enabled platform
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Napster Inc, the digital music service, said on Tuesday it plans to attract more customers by moving to a Web-based platform allowing users to play their music from any computer without having to download any additional software.
The move is intended to open up the service and attract more paying subscribers by making the Napster platform more flexible and compatible with any Internet-enabled device.
Apple's new operating system to hit stores Oct 26
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday the newest version of its Macintosh operating system will go on sale on October 26, finally hitting the market after a four-month delay due to the company's work on the iPhone.
The new operating system, which is called Leopard, is the sixth update to Apple's OS X software and will cost $129 for a single user and $199 for a family pack, which can be installed on up to five computers in a single household.
House votes to renew Internet tax block
WASHINGTON - The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a four-year extension of a moratorium on state and local taxes on Internet access, despite widespread support in both parties for a permanent ban.
The tax ban, first passed in 1998, is set to expire on Nov. 1. The extension exempts some states that approved taxes prior to the original enactment.
The vote was 405-2.
"This bill is pro consumer, pro innovation and pro technology," said Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., one of the bill's sponsors.
Corsair Announces TX Series of Power Supplies for PC Enthusiasts and Extreme Gamers
Fremont, CA, October 16, 2007 – Corsair® www.corsair.com, a worldwide leader in design and manufacturer of high-performance memory and peripheral components, today announced the latest addition to their Corsair power supply lineup: the Corsair TX Series. Inspired by Corsair’s award-winning HX Series, Corsair has engineered the TX Series to be a family of high-wattage, high-performance power supplies that meets and exceeds the most demanding specifications of enthusiasts and performance seekers
Quick Bytes:
Antec Performance One P182SE Case @ Hardware Secrets
Intel X38 Motherboard Roundup @ cdrinfo
Corsair 3GB (2GB + 1GB) DDR2 667 Mac Notebook Memory Upgrade @ Legit Reviews
ZEROtherm Hurricane HC92 CU 8800 Review - XSReviews
OCZ ATV Turbo 4GB Flash Drive Review @ Hardwarecanucks
XFX Fatal1ty 8600GT review - XSReviews
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 M0 Stepping CPU Review @ Madshrimps
Arctic Cooling Accelero S1: Can you say quiet and cool? @ Bjorn3D
Zalman CNPS8700 LED INTEL/AMD CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews.net
OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-9200 DDR2 1150MHz RAM Kit @ Benchmark Reviews
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| VH News: Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 15, 2007 @ 3:57 |
| GIGABYTE GA-P31-DS3L Motherboard Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Intel has two chipsets in the P3x family, the Intel P35 Express and the P31 Express. The P35 Express is designed for higher performance platforms, with support for DDR2 or DDR3 memory and the ICH9 series Southbridge. The P31 being tailored for budget systems, only supports DDR2 memory and features Intel’s older ICH7 series Southbridge. However the P31 has one major advantage price. Today I’ll be reviewing Gigabyte’s GA-P31-DS3L platform based on the Intel P31 chipset. Let’s dig in and see how this board stacks up.”
Hitachi: Hard drives are getting better
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Multimedia stockpilers need not worry about laptops, digital video recorders or portable music players hitting a storage capacity ceiling any time soon.
Hitachi Ltd. says its researchers have successfully shrunken a key component in hard drives to a nanoscale that will pave the way for quadrupling today's storage limits to 4 terabytes for desktop computers and 1 terabyte on laptops in 2011.
Asustek may expand branded notebook PC business via acquisition
The branded notebook business is part of Asustek Computer's long-term strategy and the company does not rule out the possibility of sustaining the growth of its brand-product business through acquisition, according to Jonathan Tsang, president for sales and marketing at Asustek.
Tsang's statement indicated that Asustek may follow Acer's step in expanding its share of in the global notebook market after the company officially spins off its ODM business in 2008, observed sources in Taiwan's PC industry.
An acquisition would be a positive choice since Asustek has recently mapped out a "Double Three" plan, aiming to be among the top-five companies in the global notebook market within three years and further to lift its ranking into the top-three in another three years, indicated the sources.
ASRock may not achieve its shipment goal for 2007, says paper
Second-tier motherboard maker ASRock set a goal to ship 12 million motherboards in 2007, however its accumulated shipments for the first nine months have not even reached five million, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report, which cited market sources.
ASRock shipped around 500,000 motherboards in September with revenues of NT$710 million (US$21.8 million), a drop of 55% on year. The paper stated that the trend of notebooks replacing desktop PCs is becoming more obvious, therefore the peak season in the fourth quarter will provide only limited benefit to the company. ASRock will ship a total of seven million motherboards in 2007, a drop of 30% on year, noted the paper.
Nanotech produces plastic as strong as steel. Researchers mimic structures found in seashells, using clay and glue
By mimicking structures found in seashells, scientists have created a transparent plastic that is as strong as steel.
For years scientists have tried to build sturdy materials for larger products from ultrastrong nano-size building blocks, such as nanotubes, nanosheets and nanorods, only to have the larger structures turn out comparatively weak.
"When you tried to build something you can hold in your arms, scientists had difficulties transferring the strength of individual nanosheets or nanotubes to the entire material," said study leader Nicholas Kotov of the University of Michigan.
Is there a bruise on Apple's reputation? Some think company's stellar service is failing to keep up with its growth
For Apple, there may be a downside to success. Sales of the Cupertino, Calif.-company's Macintosh machines are growing three times as fast as the overall PC market. Its iPod music player is burying the competition. And the stylish iPhone is setting the wireless industry on its head. But as Apple pulls in millions more customers with different kinds of products, it's getting harder to keep them all happy.
Quick Bytes:
Brando USB Mini Fridge Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Kingwin Mach 1 800W Modular PSU @ 3dgameman
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 Premium CPU Kühler @ Cooling-Station
Lian Li PC-A70 @ techPowerUp
OCZ Reaper Heatpipe Cooled Memory Review @ OC Cafe
Apack ZEROtherm "Nirvana" NV120 CPU-Kühler @ Hardware-Mods.com
ASUS G1S 15.4" Gaming Notebook @ Techgage
OCZ Platinum r2 DDR2-800 2GB Memory Kit Reviewed @ TheTechLounge
Antec P190 PC Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Logitech G9 3200 dpi Laser USB Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews | | | | |
| VH News: Weekend Edition
Posted by Diceman on Sunday, October 14, 2007 @ 12:24 |
| Synology Disk Station DS107+ NAS Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“The average price I can find for the DS107+ is about $330. This seems like an amazingly good deal as far as I’m concerned. It’s external storage with gigabit Ethernet, a web server, iTunes server, backup utility for Cameras and USB drives. Plus the (near as I can tell), unique internal bit torrent download client that you can use from a remote location. It’s not so high priced that a small home business or family with a home network and a couple computers can’t afford it. With 500GB drives around $100, it’s a very cost effective solution. “
Google, Random House move closer on book search
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Random House, the world's biggest book publisher, is considering joining a book-search project run by Google, once considered an arch-enemy by the paper publishing industry.
The two parties are talking to one another about the less controversial part of Google's book-scanning project, its partner program, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters at this week's Frankfurt Book Fair.
Google has agreements with more than 10,000 publishers, large and small, who give their books to Google to be scanned in full. Google then makes them partially available -- according to agreements with each publisher -- for online readers.
Ad dollars flood Web, but will they go far enough?
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Companies will spend a record $31 billion this year to advertise everything from toothpaste to home loans on the Internet, supporting countless news sites, social networks, video exchanges and blogs.
But some media veterans worry that expectations for online advertising may be getting out-sized.
Increasingly, they say, too much media depends on advertising as the only source of revenue. With new players from software makers to cable operators also trying to cash in, the dollars simply may not stretch far enough.
"I'm getting to the point where I feel like every answer to every business development pitch is 'We're going to be advertiser supported'," said Beth Comstock, president of Integrated Media at NBC Universal, which this year set up a fund to invest in media and digital companies.
You might wear computing's next wave
BOSTON - From clothes riddled with sensors to name tags that detect our moods, computing's next wave could unleash small devices that increasingly augment everyday activities with digital intelligence.
That was the predominant vision at a conference on "wearable computing" held this week in Boston, where researchers showed off prototypes and discussed ideas.
Some attendees took wearable computing to its extreme, donning cyborg-like miniaturized displays attached to eyepieces. But most of what was on exhibit seemed much closer to jumping into a mainstream commercial product.
Quick Bytes:
SilverStone TJ10 Case @ 3dgameman
Super Talent W1866UX2G8 DDR3-1866 Memory Review @ PCSTATS.com
Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-11000 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ Bigbruin.com
OCZ Vanquisher CPU Cooler @ Techgage
Logitech G9 Gaming Mouse @ Pro-Clockers
XFX 8800 GTS 320 MB: Another Fatal1ty @ Bjorn3D
Hiper Anubis Mid-Tower Case Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Targus 15.4-Inch Corporate Traveler Laptop Case CUCT02A @ Benchmark Reviews
Entry level VGA round-up, 7 Geforce 8400GS compared @ Madshrimps
Tagan ITZ 1300W & Thermaltake ToughPower 1200W @ Phoronix
Sapphire Radeon HD 2600 Pro at Modders-Inc
NOX XTREME Moonlight @ techPowerUp
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| VH News: Friday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 12, 2007 @ 5:16 |
| CFI TeraBox II+ USB Multiple HDD Enclosure Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“It doesn’t get much simpler than this for a 4 slot external enclosure. Slide the drives in, select what mode you want and plug it in and go. With the USB format, the enclosure is portable between systems, anything after Windows 98 doesn’t need drivers and all the drives can be combined into a single drive. CFI Enclosure has put this at a MSRP of $149 and I think it is a good match.”
Electronic Arts to buy BioWare, Pandemic. Deal with parent Elevation Partners is worth up to $860 million
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Electronic Arts Inc., the video game developer known for titles such as "Madden NFL" and "The Sims," said Thursday it will acquire two software studios from Elevation Partners in a deal worth up to $860 million.
The studios, BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios, have a total of 10 games under development. Elevation owns their parent, VG Holding Corp.
Together, the studios employ about 800 people in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, as well as in Canada and Australia.
YouTube lets users map videos onto Google Earth
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - Google Inc is bringing the world of online video and map-making closer together by allowing users of its Google Earth software to watch and hear YouTube videos mapped to specific locations.
Google is offering a new YouTube video overlay on top of its Google Earth three-dimensional visualization software, which combines satellite images, maps, terrain and buildings of the world.
By allowing YouTube creators to geographically locate their videos on a map of the world, Google enables Internet users to zoom in on locations around the planet and watch YouTube tied to that place.
Nintendo says to keep Wii console price at $249
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) expects to keep its Wii video game console priced at $249 for the time being since it is selling all of the units it makes, a senior U.S. executive said on Thursday.
"We'll stay at $249 for the foreseeable future. We are still selling everything we can make," George Harrison, senior vice president of marketing at Nintendo America, told Reuters in an interview.
OCZ Technology Answers Enthusiast Demands for a Complete High-End Memory Solution with the 4GB Reaper HPC CAS 4 Edition
Sunnyvale, CA—October 10, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the 4GB PC2-6400 CL4 series, the latest edition to the highly-awarded OCZ Reaper HPC (Heat Pipe Conduit) product family. With a proven performance design coupled with the blazing latencies and memory capacity enthusiasts crave, the 4GB PC2-6400 Reaper CL4 series provides rock-solid stability and performance on the latest AMD and Intel platforms.
Quick Bytes:
Razer Diamondback 3G Gaming Mouse Review @ OCC
Evercool Buffalo CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
MSI K9AG Neo2-Digital Motherboard @ Viper Lair
Ultra X3 1000 Watt Energy Efficient Modular PSU @ HotHardware.com
e-bug SLI PC Review on Technic3D
Crucial BallistiX DDR3-1600 @ cdrinfo
Intel P35 Motherboard Roundup Vol 2 @ cdrinfo
I4U: OCZ ATV Turbo 4GB Flash Drive Review | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 11, 2007 @ 1:31 |
| 'Orange Box' is a sublime, striking package. Valve squeezes five top-notch games into one must-have collection
When the PC games "Half-Life" and "Half-Life 2" launched in 1998 and 2004 respectively, they heralded a fresh, hybrid style of action game: the cerebral shooter.
Other first-person shooters might have had token puzzles to spice things up (find a key in "Doom II" or hop on a box in "Deus Ex") but no game had integrated situations that required you to stop and think like the "Half-Life" games. (If you had time to stop and think while you were blasting the heads off of zombies, that is.)
With "The Orange Box," developer Valve Software offers a bountiful collection of previously-released and brand new game material for both PC and next-gen console gamers. Included in the package are "Half-Life 2" and "Half-Life 2: Episode One" as well as the new "Half-Life 2: Episode Two," "Portal" and (whew!) "Team Fortress 2."
I got my Episode 2 yesterday and have played it a bit so far. It certainly continues the HL2 tradition with fantastic graphics and smooth gameplay.
New scanner may replace metal detectors
WASHINGTON - The federal government will begin testing a body-scanning machine that could eventually be used instead of the metal detectors passengers walk through at airports.
Tests were scheduled to begin Thursday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with passengers pulled out of the security line for secondary screening. Passengers may request the full-body scan — which blurs faces so the person being screened cannot be recognized — instead of the traditional pat-down used across the country. The new machine uses radio waves to detect foreign objects.
Compal notebook shipments hit high in September
Compal Electronics saw its notebook shipments increase 56% on year to 2.1 million units in September, bringing the notebook shipments for the third quarter of 2007 to 6.1 million units, up 19% on year, according to company sources.
For the first three quarters of this year, notebook shipments reached 16 million units, an increase of over 70% on year, said the sources.
Compal is expected to ship at least six million notebooks in the fourth quarter, enabling the company to reach its goal of shipping 22 million notebooks in 2007, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.
With strong orders coming from brand vendors, including Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell, Acer and Toshiba, the company is expected to ship 30 million notebooks in 2008, according to sources at Taiwan-based securities houses
Mobility is the future. Laptops are flying off shelfs. I think the "selling point" has finally hit home with consumers with powerful Core 2 Duo processors and 8600 Nvidia graphics for resaonable prices.
Quick Bytes:
EVGA 680i SLI 775 A1 Motherboard Review @ mb
Multiple GeForce 8500GT PCIe Super Review @ MTB
GIGABYTE Odin GT 800W @ techPowerUp
Vers 2X iPod Speaker System Review @ Digital Trends
Thrustmaster Dual Trigger Gamepad Review @ FusionMods.Net
Mushkin HP2-6400 4GB Memory Kit @ Viper Lair
Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. Type S Review @ OCIA.net
Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro series Review @ OCC
Geeks 4-Channel Standalone DVR Review @ Rbmods
D-Link DWA-652 Xtreme N Notebook Adapter (PCMCIA) @ BmR
Razer Mantis Control & Mantis Speed Mousepads Review @ Tweaknews.net
Keeping Email Synced On Multiple Computers @ pcmech
RAM heat spreader removal guide @ ocinside.de
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| VH News: Wednesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 @ 6:27 |
| OCZ Technology Announces the World’s First 4GB NVIDIA® SLI™ Certified kits, Designed for Ultimate Gaming Performance on NVIDIA nForce Motherboards
Sunnyvale, CA—October 9, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. a worldwide leader in innovative ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the latest addition to the award-winning OCZ NVIDIA® SLI™ certified series, the world’s first 4GB PC2-6400 SLI-Ready DDR2 modules. Optimized specifically for the latest generation nForce platforms, this series features an ideal combination of reduced latencies and high density to support the ultimate gaming experience.
The OCZ PC2-6400 4GB SLI-Ready Series is the optimal memory solution for current and upcoming DirectX® 10 graphic-intensive PC titles and provides unsurpassed reliability and performance to unleash every graphic possibility. For enthusiasts, gamers, and system-builders using Windows® Vista™ as their choice operating system and who need the performance of high-speed memory, these newest PC2-6400 4GB kits are the ultimate SLI certified memory upgrade to increase your system responsiveness. The new high-density OCZ PC2-6400 4GB SLI-Ready Series is equipped with NVIDIA Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP) to optimize the modules’ gaming performance on nForce® SLI-based motherboards.
“There are increasingly more games that are now taking advantage of DirectX® 10 being introduced, and consumers need more memory to take full advantage of the enhanced details and effects within the games,” said Alex Mei, Chief Marketing Officer, OCZ Technology Group. “OCZ is proud to be the first memory manufacturer to offer an SLI Certified 4GB solution for gamers seeking for a perfect blend of high density and easy overclocking right out of the box on NVIDIA platforms.”
Quick Bytes:
Moneual Lab 932B Black HTPC Case With 7 Inch Touchscreen Review @ Tweaknews.net
2GB OCZ DDR-2 6400 Reaper CL3 Edition @ Hardwareoverclock Austria
CoolerMaster CM690 Case Review @ Gamepyre
Synology DS107e Single-Drive NAS @ Techgage
Buffalo Technology LinkStation Live Review @ Digital Trends
Buffalo Firestix PC2-6400 review at Icrontic.com
Logitech Pure-Fi Elite Review @ OCC
Tagan CS-Monolith Mid Tower ATX Case @ Benchmark Reviews
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 @ Techgage
NZXT Precise Power 1200W Modular Power Supply Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Clean Up a Wireless Signal By Changing The Channel @ pcmech
NZXT LeXa Redline Case Review on Technic3D
Glacial power 550watt PSU Review @ mb
OCZ ATV Turbo Flash Drive @ 3dgameman
QNAP TS 109 Pro NAS Server @ Technoyard
Half-Life 2: Episode Two @ Techgage | | | | |
| VH News: Tuesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 @ 2:29 |
| Hard disk pioneers win physics Nobel
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - France's Albert Fert and Germany's Peter Gruenberg won the 2007 Nobel Prize for physics on Tuesday for a breakthrough in nanotechnology that revolutionized data storage and led to gadgets such as laptops and iPods.
The 10-million Swedish crown ($1.54 million) prize, awarded by The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, recognized the pair's discovery of giant magnetoresistance, which enables scientists to push huge amounts of data into ever-smaller spaces.
"It is thanks to this technology that it has been possible to miniaturize hard disks so radically in recent years," the academy said in a statement.
BitTorrent moves from piracy to video streaming
BOSTON (Reuters) - BitTorrent Inc., which was co-founded by the developer of a software program widely used to share pirated music and video over the Web, plans to start helping media companies stream videos over the Internet.
The company unveiled the service on Tuesday, six years after its chief executive, Bram Cohen, created the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing technology.
Google to show videos on other Web sites
SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. will begin showing YouTube videos on thousands of other Web sites, hoping to profit from ads attached to the clips.
The expansion, scheduled to be announced Tuesday, represents the Internet search leader's farthest-reaching attempt yet to cash in on its $1.76 billion acquisition of YouTube since the deal closed 11 months ago.
Google already shows some video ads on clips on YouTube's own site.
Quick Bytes:
PNY GEFORCE 8500GT 512MB PCIe Review @ OCC
Oppo DV-981HD DVD Player Review @ Digital Trends
Antec Fusion Black 430 HTPC Case review at Metku.net
PC Power & Cooling TURBO-COOL 1KW-SR PSU Review @ Madshrimps
Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1250W Power Supply Review @ Bigbruin.com
Gigabyte G-Pad Pro @ techPowerUp
Banned from Using Linux: What Would You Do? @ MadPenguin.org
Dragon Fire LED Light Bar w/Remote at Modders-Inc
ArmoryTech Controller Rack review at Icrontic.com
Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard Hands-On @ OCModShop
Razer Piranha Gaming Headset Hands-On @ OCModShop
Razer Lachesis Gaming Mouse Hands-On @ OCModShop
Asus Triton 75 CPU Cooler @ OC3D
Moving Files From Old Drive to a New One @ pcmech
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 (Intel X38) @ Phoronix
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| VH News: Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 8, 2007 @ 2:36 |
| GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6 Motherboard Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“The board I will be reviewing from Gigabyte is the GA-P35-DQ6 featuring a P35/ICH9R chipset combination. This model supports the DDR-2 standard, dual PCIe graphics capability (only crossfire is supported on the Intel chipsets), solid caps all over the board, Quad bios solution, Eight Channel HD audio provided by the Realtek ALC889 codec and silent heatpipe cooling. All great features contributing to the very bling-bling nature of this board. Let’s dig in and see if it stacks up.”
WIN FREE SWAG @ CrazyPC - Ends October 17th!
Place an order with CrazyPC.com between now and October 17th and your eligible to win one of our Giveaway items! Winners will be announced October 18th! *See Details Below*
1. T.One 1 Inch USB Drive!
2. Logisys LCD Stand
3. CrazyPC T-Shirt
4. Bluegears b-Cool BR 80mm
5. Func 1030 Mousing Surface
*Details: Place an order between September 17th, 2007 and October 17th, 2007. Five customers will be randomly selected to receive one of the 5 giveaway items. The lucky winners will be announced on October 18th, 2007. One giveaway item per randomly selected customer.
Could vertical farming be the future? Farm able to feed 50,000 people could 'fit comfortably within a city block'
Rice on the seventh floor. Wheat on the twelfth. And enough food within an 18-story tower to feed a small city of 50,000.
Vertical farms, where staple crops could be grown in environmentally friendly skyscrapers, exist today only in futuristic designs an on optimistic Web sites. Despite concerns over sky-high costs, however, an environmental health expert in New York is convinced the world has the know-how to make the concept a reality — and the imperative to do so quickly.
With a raft of studies suggesting farmers will be hard-pressed to feed the extra 3 billion people swelling the world’s ranks by the year 2050, Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier believes a new model of agriculture is vital to avoid an impending catastrophe.
Futuristic car makes reversing obsolete
TOKYO (Reuters) - For all those drivers that hate parallel parking and anything else that requires the reverse gear, Nissan could one day have the car for you.
The leading Japanese carmaker recently unveiled the Pivo 2, a battery-powered concept car with a fully rotating cabin that makes going backwards obsolete, since the driver can turn to face the direction they need to go.
Its wheels also turn 90 degrees, making parking easier.
Quick Bytes:
Acer AL2002W 20-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org
MNPCTECH Carbon Fiber film Review @ FusionMods.Net
Toshiba HD-A20 HD DVD Player Review @ Digital Trends
Interview with Intel's Memory Guru, Christopher Cox @ Techgage
Cooler Master Centurion 5 Review @ FusionMods.Net
CoolerMaster HyperTX CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc
A- DATA USB2.0 Flash Drive - RB19 Review @ OCC
ICY BOX IB-351StUS-B USB & eSATA 3.5" Enclosure @ BmR
Logitech Kinetik 15,4 Briefcase Review @ Rbmods
Super Talent Vidego24T MP3/MP4 Player Review @ HardwareLogic
Titan EZ Sound at Overclockers Online
I4U: Logitech Updated G15 Gaming Keyboard Review
AeroCool FP-01 Multifunction Panel @ Legit Reviews
Acer AL2216W 22 Inch LCD Monitor @ 3dgameman
Antec P-190 Case Review @ Hi-Tech Reviews.com | | | | |
| VH News: Weekend Edition
Posted by Diceman on Sunday, October 7, 2007 @ 2:38 |
| Can e-sports catch fire in the U.S.? The World Cyber Games are here, in Seattle. Bet you didn't hear about it
SEATTLE - There was no torch-lighting at the opening ceremony for the World Cyber Games Grand Finale on Thursday. Instead, the audience of competitive video game players, sponsors and press were treated to an overlong human beat-box performance and an unfunny emcee.
But then, out came the players, one from each of the 74 countries represented at these so-called “Olympics of e-sports.” They came from Iran, Pakistan, the Phillipines and Peru — more than 700 players in total. And over the next three days, these players will duke it out on games such as “StarCraft,” “Project Gotham Racing 3” and “Gears of War.” At stake is over a half million in cash and prizes, gold medals — and bragging rights.
AT&T TILT: BUILT FOR SPEED
AT&T’s new Tilt is fast. Really fast. I know that because I’m familiar with the phone in other, forms.
The Tilt is nearly identical to AT&T’s previous 8525 device and to T-Mobile’s current Wing smartphone.
They’re all manufactured by HTC, they’re all GSM-based world phones which run on Windows Mobile OS, and they all have similar controls and buttons. They’re also all very good cellular phones.
Do eBay Ads Go Overboard?
EBay Inc. has significantly boosted its advertising revenue since last year, but some sellers worry that the company's efforts in this area are driving potential buyers away from the online marketplace.
Last year, eBay signed deals to run ads from the Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. networks in order to better capitalize on the massive traffic it draws to its Web sites, primarily its core eBay.com marketplace.
Don't want an iPod? Lots of choices available
NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Marybeth Miller decided she wanted a digital player to carry around music from her massive collection, she had one important rule: no iPod.
"Everyone has an iPod. For some reason, I would rather find and purchase the 'hidden gem' MP3 player that is less popular," said Miller, a Wilmington, Delaware-based musician. "I don't like the idea that nearly everyone has an iPod. I feel this way about other things, too. I appreciate obscurity."
The good news is that for those wanting to steer clear of the legion of white headphones, there are several solid alternatives
Sony to start selling 40GB PS3 in Europe next week
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) will start selling a new configuration of its PlayStation 3 video game console, with less built-in storage capacity, in Europe on October 10, priced at 399 euros, the company said on Friday.
The model, which will also be available in the Middle East, Africa and Australia, has a 40-gigabyte hard drive and includes the ability to access the Internet wirelessly.
Sony also said it would cut the price of its 60-gigabyte PS3 by 100 euros to 499 euros "while stocks last."
Sony launched the PS3 in the United States last November with a 20-gigabyte model and the bigger 60-gigabyte model, which was expected to cater to gamers who also use the device to watch video and movies. Sony discontinued the lower-capacity PS3 in North America due to strong sales of the higher-capacity model.
Quick Bytes:
Gigabyte 3D Mercury Water Cooling Case @ 3dgameman
AMD Triple Core - Marketing Hype or Mainstream Killer? @ Legit Reviews
Gigabyte Volar Cooler Review @ OC Cafe
A.C.Ryan UDrive USB2.0 to IDE/SATA2 external converter Review @ FusionMods.Net
Asus Xonar D2 Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Thermalright HR-03 Plus @ techPowerUp
Fantec Fanbox External Hard Drive Review on Technic3D
Silverstone KL-01 Mid-Tower Case @ DreamWare Computers
Samsung LN-T4681F LCD HDTV @ DreamWare Computers
CoolerMaster HyperTX CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 4, 2007 @ 4:18 |
| Antec Veris A/V Component Cooler Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“The Veris family is a new line of personal home theater multimedia components made by Antec. Currently, the series contains only five products, but more are expected. Up for review today is the Veris A/V cooler, an ingenious accessory for prolonging the life expectancy of your home entertainment products by keeping your equipment running cool.”
Enermax Infinity 720W Power Supply Review @ PCSTATS.com
Enermax is power supply brand that differentiates itself on features and appearance. Both are good qualities, but power efficiency is something it should improve upon. A power efficient PSU that is difficult to use isn't much good, and the same rings true for a unit which has all the physical qualities take care of, but isn't as power efficient as it could be. | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 4, 2007 @ 3:26 |
| Kingston Technology DDR3 Memory Soars to New Heights With 1800MHz, Low-Latency 1625MHz Debut; HyperX 14400, 13000 Modules Push Memory Technology to Faster Speed Levels
Fountain Valley, CA -- (October 4, 2007) -- Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it has launched high performance 1800MHz DDR3 and Low-Latency 1625MHz HyperX memory modules, riding the edge of new DDR3 memory technology with two of the fastest production speeds available.
"Kingston is taking next generation memory to new levels with the announcement of our new 1800MHz HyperX 14400 series DDR3 memory,” said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston®.
"With DDR3 technology progressing farther and faster than expected, meeting the need for speed and reaching new production performance levels is both challenging and greatly rewarding for us as a memory company.”
Lower CAS latencies typically deliver better performance — even when a module's speed is slower — without driving thermal conditions that would require extra cooling in a high frequency system. The release of Kingston HyperX 1625MHz low-latency memory marks Kingston's third foray into the DDR3 low-latency overclocking arena.
Tested on ASUS P5K3 Deluxe class (P35 based) motherboards, both the 1800MHz and low-latency 1625MHz HyperX are shipping in 1GB modules and 2GB memory kits. All Kingston memory comes with a lifetime warranty and 24/7 technical support.
Kingston 1800MHz and Low-Latency 1625MHz DDR3 HyperX Specifications
KHX14400D3/1G
1GB 1800MHz (CL8-8-8-24-1T @ 1.9V)
DDR3 HyperX DIMM $ 227.00 (U.S. only)
KHX14400D3K2/2G
2GB 1800MHz (CL8-8-8-24-1T @ 1.9V)
DDR3 HyperX DIMMs, (Kit of 2) $ 453.00 (U.S. only)
KHX13000D3LL/1G
1GB 1625MHz Low-Latency (CL7-7-7-20-1T @ 1.9V)
DDR3 HyperX DIMM $ 224.00 (U.S. only)
KHX13000D3LLK2/2G
2GB 1625MHz Low-Latency (CL7-7-7-20-1T @ 1.9V)
DDR3 HyperX DIMMs, (Kit of 2) $ 448.00 (U.S. only)
For more detailed information on Kingston memory products, please call 800-337-8410 or visit Kingston at www.kingston.com.
OCZ Announces the Highly-Anticipated PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 1200, the Industry’s Most Powerful NVIDIA® SLI ™ Certified Single-Rail PSU
Sunnyvale, Calif.—October 3, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance memory and PC components, today announced the release of the Turbo-Cool 1200 power supply from PC Power & Cooling. Designed to offer the consumer market a professional-grade computer power supply, the 1200W Turbo-Cool is the ultimate power solution for those that require the very best, long-lasting, industrial-grade components for their mission-critical system or leading-edge gaming machine.
Continuing a long history of technical innovation and industry leadership, PC Power & Cooling has designed the Turbo-Cool 1200 for optimum power distribution to all components by utilizing their customary "single +12V rail" design. This trail-blazing approach to +12V rail design ends the need to budget power "across the rails" as is the case with the less effective multi-rail design found in the vast majority of high-performance PSUs on the market today.
"The release of the Turbo-Cool 1200 is another landmark event for PC Power & Cooling," stated Doug Dodson, founder of PCP&C and CTO for the OCZ Technology Group. "The Turbo-Cool series has a long history of providing an industrial, server-class computer power supply to the consumer market and the 1200 model brings the product line to new heights with a massive +12V continuous output of 90 Amps and an efficiency rating of 83%. Many of the top OEMs in the computing industry are excited to see the arrival of this innovative power supply."
Quick Bytes:
Cooler Master Vortex 752 CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
LG DVD Burner GSA-H62N SATA vs GSA-H50N IDE Review @ OCC
The State of DirectX 10 - Image Quality & Performance @ HotHardware.com
Crucial PC2-6400 2x 1024 MB Dual Channel Kit @ Hardware-Mods.com
FSP Epsilon 700 (FX700-GLN) 700W PSU Review on Technic3D
Lian Li PC-C32 Review - XSReviews
Asus P5K3-Deluxe/WiFi-AP P35 motherboard @ APH Networks
Silverstone Element ST50EF-Plus 500W PSU Review @ HardwareLogic
2 GB Mushkin DDR2 kit HP2-6400 @ Hardwareoverclock
Why I Downgraded to Windows XP From Vista @ pcmech
Gigabyte GA-X38T-DQ6 @ TrustedReviews
ECS G31T-M @ techPowerUp
Apple iPod Shuffle Second Generation 1Gb MP3 Player Review @ Tweaknews.net
Logitech Quickcam 9000 Pro Review @ Rbmods
Auzentech X-Fi Prelude @ Techgage
A-DATA Vitesta DDR2-800 Extreme @ Phoronix
HIS HD 2600Pro Turbo 256MB Video Card @ 3dgameman
HP w2408 24-inch LCD Review @ Digital Trends
ASUS BC-1205PT Blu-ray Combo Drive @ hardwarezone | | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 @ 3:30 |
| Patriot 2x1GB PC3-15000 1866MHz DDR3 Memory Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Well, I was sitting here one afternoon contemplating what could possibly be any better than an 1800MHz DDR3 memory kit that could help me melt down my E6600 and whichever motherboard to further compliment such a feat. To my surprise, Patriot Memory stepped up to the plate in good form with something better. As if 1800MHz wasn't plenty of speed right now, this team has been busy finalizing and currently offering the Patriot PC3-15000 2GB Kit. If you calculate that out (which can sometimes cause headaches), that's 1866MHz of raw memory frequency. How much memory bandwidth and performance does that offer? Let's find out!”
HD DVD to launch online shopping feature. Looking for an edge against Blu-ray for next-generation format supremacy
NEW YORK - Just watched "Evan Almighty"? Did its environmental message make you want to buy ecologically sound toilet paper?
Well, now you can get instant gratification — if you watched the movie on an HD DVD player and are willing to give the remote a workout.
The HD DVD of "Evan Almighty" will be the first disc to include an online shopping feature, Universal Studios announced Wednesday.
Google beefs up corporate e-mail. Company added new security tool and doubled storage capacity
SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. is sprucing up its corporate e-mail service by adding new security tools and more than doubling the storage capacity of e-mailboxes, underscoring the online search leader's ambition to enlarge its role in the business software market.
The changes, to be unveiled Wednesday, mark Google's first attempt to capitalize on the technology that it picked up in its recently completed $625 million acquisition of e-mail security specialist Postini Inc.
Microsoft unveils Zune Social, new Zune devices, innovative Zune software and redesigned Zune Marketplace — all geared toward discovering and sharing new music.
SEATTLE — Oct. 2, 2007 — Underscoring the company’s vision for helping to advance the digital entertainment industry and deliver great music experiences to its customers, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and Corporate Vice President J Allard yesterday unveiled the next generation of Zune® portable media players, software and online store. Gates and Allard also introduced Zune Social, a beta online community Web site built around and powered by people’s passion for music.
Quick Bytes:
Gigabyte GeForce 8600GT Video Card Review @ OCC
OCZ DDR3 PC3-12800 2GB 1600MHz Memory Kit Review @ Legit Reviews
DH Review: XFX 8800 GTS 320Mb Fatal1ty and Gainward Bliss 8800 GTS 640Mb
Acryl and Meshx Review @ FusionMods.Net
Silverstone Nitrogon NT06 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP motherboard @ Viper Lair
Hard Drive Failure: Warnings and Solutions @ pcmech
Corsair Padlock USB Flash Drive Review @ Tweaknews.net
Will Windows Mobile Be The Only Mobile OS? @ The TechZone
Why I Chose Linux @ MadPenguin.org
Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H @ Techgage
Chill Innovation CP-520A4 PSU Review at Metku.net
Sunbeam UFO Acrylic Cube Case @ techPowerUp
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| VH News: Tuesday 3rd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 @ 5:16 |
| Überclok, LLC Launches Sale of Overclocked Gaming PCs
September 10, 2007 - Chicago, IL - Überclok, LLC, a startup based in Chicago, hit the ground running this week with its entry into the Gaming PC market. Überclok uses hardware overclocking to produce faster, more powerful computers than those sold for the same price by other gaming PC companies. By the same token, an Überclok PC costs significantly less than a competing product of equal capability.
Thermaltake at WCG 2007 to Showcase New Xaser VI and Others
Thermaltake’s performance case “Soprano DX”, “Xaser VI”, “Armor +” and enthusiast cooler “V1”, “MaxOrb”, plus quality power supply “Toughpower series” are all honored to be designated as WCG 2007 Official Product, and these products will take gaming experience to a whole new level. Thermaltake will have general exhibition areas at the venue for all visitors to admire our newest product and gaming gears. | | | | |
| VH News: Tuesday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 @ 5:06 |
| Can video game cheating be prevented? Today's games are networked and real money is on the line
Some players give themselves the ability to magically see and shoot through walls. Others find a way to fly, making them nearly impossible to defeat.
Cheating like this in video games has a long and even respected tradition. Games have often slyly included ways — intentionally or not — for sophisticated players to hack into the software and then skip levels or take on supernatural powers.
But these days, the subject is getting a more serious look. Unlike older games, today's are networked to be played with strangers over the Internet. And now, real money is at stake. Fantasy games like "World of Warcraft" and computer environs like "Second Life," to name a few, have their own currency or other virtual valuables that can be traded for hard U.S. dollars.
Building a computer that reads minds. User wears headband that sends light into the tissues of the head
They're already predicting, mathematically, what you'll want to watch, what you'll want to wear, and who you'll want to vote for. Obviously, the next step is for computers to read your mind — and that's just what they're working toward at Tufts University in Boston.
Your computer won't be picking up details about your plans for the evening anytime soon. But researchers with the Human Computer Interaction group at Tufts have, thanks to a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, come up with a straightforward way for your computer to tell if you are overworked, under-worked or not working at all, according to a paper they will present next week at an Association of Computing Machinery symposium.
Microsoft softens tone on Doubleclick/Google deal
PARIS (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp softened its criticism of Google Inc's planned $3.1 billion acquisition of online advertiser DoubleClick, which it had claimed earlier would give the search engine group a dominant position.
"The question is not for Microsoft to have specific views (on this deal) ... As in all markets, it is for the regulator to see if the competition is right," Jean-Philippe Courtois, head of Microsoft International, told journalists in Paris on Tuesday.
Nokia signs video deals with CNN, Sony and others
HELSINKI (Reuters) - The world's top cellphone maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) has signed partnership deals with seven companies including CNN (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sony Pictures (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) to bring video content to its top-of-the-range multimedia phones.
"Consumer desire to watch Internet videos on mobile devices is growing all the time and we want to help users discover and access the best content in the simplest way possible," Harri Mannisto, director at Nokia's multimedia unit, said on Tuesday.
Driverless truck lurches out of lab
OSHKOSH, Wis. - Sitting high in the cab of the hulking lime-green TerraMax truck, a driver can be excused for instinctively grabbing the steering wheel.
There's no need. TerraMax is a self-driving vehicle, a prototype designed to navigate and obey traffic rules — all while the people inside, if there are any, do anything but drive.
During a recent test on property owned by manufacturer Oshkosh Truck Co., TerraMax barreled down a dusty road with its driver seat empty. It stopped at a four-way intersection and waited as staged traffic resolved before obediently lurching on its way.
Nintendo Predicts Holiday Wii Shortage
Regarding the possibility of a Nintendo Wii shortage this holiday shopping season, Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg said that if supply of the Wii turns out to be too scarce, consumers might decide that it's time to look at other alternatives and other devices, and that can only bode well for both Microsoft and Sony.
Quick Bytes:
Complete Halo 3 Walkthrough @ OCModShop
Medal of Honor: Airborne Game Review on Technic3D
ECS P35T-A and Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L @ HotHardware.com
Zalman Z-Machine GT1000 Case Review @ HardwareLogic
Titan TTC-G5T Extendable Notebook Cooling Pad Speakers @ Pro-Clockers
DFI LanParty UT P35 T2R Review @ Ninjalane
I4U: Viewsonic 42-inch N4261W 1080p LCD HDTV Review
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| VH News: Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 1, 2007 @ 11:10 |
| Sony to launch new ultra-thin TV. Organic light-emitting diode monitors to go on sale in December
TOKYO - Sony Corp will launch an ultra-thin flat TV based on the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology on December 1 in Japan, bringing a new contender to a $82 billion market dominated by LCD and plasma TVs.
It will be the world's first OLED TV, the company said on Monday.
Sony, the world's number two liquid crystal display (LCD) TV maker behind Samsung Electronics Co Ltd , expects an 11-inch OLED TV with a thickness of 3 mm to sell for 200,000 yen ($1,740).
Adobe releases new Flash software for cell phones
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc (ADBE.O: Quote, Profile, Research) released new software for its popular Flash Player on Sunday that promises to bring the quality of live video on cellular phones closer to that of video on computers.
Microsoft unveiling Office Live Workspace
SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. is unveiling a Web component for its desktop-based Office programs that lets computer users store, share and comment on documents, but the software maker did not go so far as to let people create new files from scratch online.
Microsoft Office Live Workspace, as the free Web site is called, isn't quite live. Starting Monday, users can sign up to be part of an early "beta" test of the service. A number of those users will be able to start using the service at some point this year, Microsoft said.
Office Live Workspace will give users about 250 megabytes of storage, or room to keep about 1,000 average Office documents "in the cloud." PC users can upload Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and use the site to e-mail friends or colleagues and invite them to read and add comments to those documents through a Web browser.
Quick Bytes:
ViewSonic VX2255wmb 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Philips 200XW 20 inch WSXGA LCD Monitor Review @ OCC
Sony HES-V1000 Home Entertainment Server @ Digital Trends
JVC EVERIO GZ-HD3 Review @ Digital Trends
Insignia NS-LCD32 32 Inch 720p HDTV Monitor @ Benchmark Reviews
Scythe CPU Cooler Roundup @ 3dgameman
Thermaltake Purepower Rx 600W Modular Power Supply review @ Hardwarecanucks
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| VH News; Wednesday Halloween Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 @ 3:49 |
| BOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!!! Happy Halloween 2007 Everyone! Please be safe and have a great time!
SoundGraph iMON Ultra Bay LCD Display Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Earlier this year, I reviewed a multimedia LCD screen with remote. Well, now I'm reviewing another one, except this one has a little more pizzazz. The iMON Ultra Bay IR Receiver and LCD Display is the newest model made by SoundGraph, Inc. It is basically an upgraded version of SoundGraph's iMON VFD. The iMON Ultra Bay is twice as high as most LCD display screens, but don't let that frighten you. The upper section is the LCD screen itself (which is approximately the same size as other screens,) and the bottom section has a number of nice, handy buttons and knobs with which to control the device. The iMON Ultra Bay also boasts a remote that is compatible with both MCE remote controllers and keyboards. The remote and device knobs/buttons together give users access to their multimedia systems both up close and from afar. Through these features, SoundGraph touts the iMON Ultra Bay as an easier, more thorough way to monitor both system and media information. Let's see if what they say is true.”
Google in talks with Verizon Wireless
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc is in active talks with number-two U.S. mobile carrier Verizon Wireless about putting Google applications on phones it offers, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
"There are good useful talks going on and they could result in a deal," one of the sources said.
So far talks between the Web search leader and Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, revolve around technology and potential business models such as advertising-sponsored services, one of the people said.
'Quake Wars' is a gorgeous, well-crafted game. Online title is easy for newbies — and plenty challenging for veterans
“Enemy Territory: Quake Wars” is up against some fearsome competition in the online PC multi-player shooter genre. “Battlefield 2142” continues to draw legions of devoted conscripts and many gamers are saving their gaming bucks for “Crysis,” “Unreal Tournament 3,” or “Call of Duty 4,” which are all due out before Christmas.
Although the online servers for “Quake Wars” have been only intermittently well populated, it’s definitely not due to the game. I chalk it up to bad timing on my part, because “Quake Wars,” published by Activision, is a gorgeous-looking, well-balanced shooter.
Is U.S. stuck in Internet's slow lane?
NEW YORK - The United States is starting to look like a slowpoke on the Internet. Examples abound of countries that have faster and cheaper broadband connections, and more of their population connected to them.
What's less clear is how badly the country that gave birth to the Internet is doing, and whether the government needs to step in and do something about it. The Bush administration has tried to foster broadband adoption with a hands-off approach. If that's seen as a failure by the next administration, the policy may change.
In a move to get a clearer picture of where the U.S. stands, the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday approved legislation that would develop an annual inventory of existing broadband services — including the types, advertised speeds and actual number of subscribers — available to households and businesses across the nation
Quick Bytes
ZEROtherm BTF92 OC Edition CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Lian Li PC-B58 Mid-Tower Case: Non-Production Release @ Benchmark Reviews
Ultra m998 Midtower Case Review @ OCIA.net
OCZ ATV Turbo USB 2.0 Flash Drive @ Pro-Clockers
Gateway One PC Review @ Digital Trends
Glacialtech Igloo 7311 Silent Athlon64 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com
Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler Review @ NGOHQ.com
Antazone AS-H7000 Notebook Heatspreader @ Hardware-Mods.com
Zerotherm BTF92 Overclocker Edition @ techPowerUp
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| VH News: Tuesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 @ 1:37 |
| Asustek's low-cost laptop coming to U.S.
San Francisco (IDGNS) - Asustek Computer's Linux-based Eee PC laptop will soon be on sale in North America and Europe, and the company plans to offer a version running Windows XP by the end of the year.
The Eee PC is a low-cost laptop designed primarily for children and emerging markets such as India. It weighs less than a kilogram, has a 7-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screen and can connect to the Internet wirelessly. The first version went on sale earlier this month in Asia, including in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where it's priced at about NT$11,100 (US$340)
Windows XP will double the price of Asustek's Eee PC
San Francisco (IDGNS) - Adding Windows XP to Asustek Computer's Eee PC will double the price of the low-cost laptop compared to existing versions running Linux.
The company will sell a version of the Eee PC with Windows XP in mature markets such as the U.S. and Europe for around US$1,000, while a configuration aimed at emerging market nations will cost about $500, said Jerry Shen, president of Asustek, during an investors conference Tuesday in Beitou, Taiwan.
Yahoo adds media playing, languages to messaging
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Internet media company Yahoo Inc said on Tuesday it is adding media-playing features, large file transfers, new languages and other tools to its instant messaging service.
The move comes as a growing number of rivals -- from incumbents like AOL to social network sites like News Corp's MySpace -- boost their positions in the market for instant messaging services.
Google plan sees phones by mid-2008: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Web search leader Google Inc is expected to announce advanced software and services enabling handset makers to bring Google-powered phones to market by mid-2008, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The announcement is expected to come within the next two weeks, the newspaper reported.
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Mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) XP2-6400 Memory Review @ OCC
Ultra Products M998 Mid-Tower Case @ hi-techreviews.com
ASUS GeForce 8600GT OC Gear 256MB @ Phoronix
Buffalo DriveStation TurboUSB Review @ Digital Trends
Crysis Demo 'Very High' Settings Hack @ ngohq
Glacialtech Igloo 7222 Light Athlon64 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com
Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 2GB DDR3-1600 Memory Kit Review @ PCSTATS.com
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 Premium @ techPowerUp
Digit-Life Review: Gigabyte MA69G-S3H - a Motherboard Based on AMD 690G (Socket AM2) Chipset
I4U: Razer Pro|Solutions Pro|Click Mobile Notebook Mouse Review
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 CPU Cooler @ Altgamer
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 CPU Cooler @ Pro-Clockers
Planar 24-inch PX2411W Wide-Screen @ Techgage
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 Intel/AMD CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews.net
Swiftech H2O 120 Compact Review - XSReviews
OCZ Technology 4GB PC2-5400 Vista Upgrade Edition DDR2 Review @ Bigbruin.com
Phantasmic Case Modification Guide Part 2 @ TechwareLabs
Titan Elena VGA Cooler vs. MACS m-sorceress VGA Cooler Review on Technic3D
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 Premium CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc
XFX Geforce 8800 GTS 320 Fatal1ty Video Card Review @ Madshrimps
MSI x38 Diamond Review - XSReviews
Calibre P860 Videocard reviewed at BurnOutPC.com
I4U: VIZIO 52-inch GV52L 1080p LCD TV Review
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| VH News: Monday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 29, 2007 @ 2:04 |
| NVIDIA Answers Gamers' Demands With NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
SANTA CLARA, CA—OCTOBER 29, 2007—The NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT, the latest in the standard-setting GeForce 8 Series of graphics processing units (GPUs), is hitting store shelves today. Specifically developed to answer enthusiast gamers’ demand for high-performing graphics at the $199 to $259 price point, GeForce 8800 GT offers a hyper-reactive, intensely robust gaming experience for the latest next-generation DirectX 10 games, such as Crysis, Hellgate: London, and Gears of War, as well as full support for current DirectX 9 games.
“When we introduced the GeForce 8 Series family, our most savvy customers and press demanded a product with 64 stream processors and a 256-bit memory interface to deliver more performance at the popular $199 to $259 price point. Today we decided to raise the bar and deliver GeForce 8800 GT with 112 stream processors, a fast 256-bit memory interface, and our second-generation PureVideo HD technology, giving our customers an incredible value proposition.” said Ujesh Desai, general manager of GeForce desktop GPUs at NVIDIA. “At this price point, gamers are getting more performance and features than ever before.”
Toshiba up on chips, power systems
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics group Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a jump in quarterly operating profit on Monday, thanks to solid flash memory chip prices and power plant sales, and raised its full-year outlook by 12 percent, closer to market estimates.
Family bets GPS will help beat teen's ticket
WINDSOR, California (AP) -- Given the option of contesting a traffic ticket, most motorists -- 19 out of 20 by some estimates -- would rather pay up than pit their word against a police officer's in court. Though courts do not routinely accept GPS readouts as evidence, somedrivers are starting to use them to challenge traffic violations.
A retired sheriff's deputy nevertheless hopes to beat the long odds of the law by setting the performance of a police officer's radar gun against the accuracy of the GPS tracking device he installed in his teenage stepson's car.
The retired deputy, Roger Rude, readily admits his 17-year-old stepson, Shaun Malone, enjoys putting the pedal to the metal. That's why he and Shaun's mother insisted on putting a global positioning system that monitors the location and speed of the boy's Toyota Celica.
Shaun complained bitterly about his electronic chaperone until it became his new best friend on July 4, when he was pulled over and cited for going 62 mph in a 45 mph zone.
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Zotac GeForce 8800 GT @ techPowerUp
DH Review: Nvidia Geforce 8800GT's (Asus, MSI, XFX, Zotac)
LNVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT Video Card Preview @ Legit Reviews
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT Launch @ HotHardware.com
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT @ hardOCP
EVGA 8800GT 512MB Superclocked Edition Review @ Hardwarecanucks
BFG 8800 GT OC Launch / Review Article @ neoseeker
Intel QX9650 Yorkfield 45nm Penryn Quad-Core Processor Review @ Tweaknews.net
HDR Photography: Friends Don’t Let Friends Make Boring Pictures @ Bjorn3D
Zykon Z1 Gamer Mouse and P3 Mouse Pad Review on Technic3D
Tagan TG1300-U33 In The Zone Series 1300W Power Supply Review @ Bigbruin.com
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 Cooler Review @ HardwareLogic
ZEROtherm Hurricane HC92 CU8800 VGA Cooler at Modders-Inc
Intel Core 2 on 45nm: Performance, Overclocking, Power Usage @ Madshrimps | | | | |
| VH News: Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 29, 2007 @ 5:35 |
| Logitech G15 (Revision 2) Keyboard Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“The original G15 was meant to cater to a niche group of gamers and enthusiasts, and attempting to make it more "mainstream" by toning down some features totally defeats the original purpose. Added to this, the MSRP of the new G15 is $100 USD, compared to only $80 USD for the original G15 when it came out in 2005. This of course doesn't mean that the G15 v2 is a bad keyboard. On the contrary, I was very pleased with it, and compared with other options, I believe it is the best buy. On its own, the G15 v2 is a very good keyboard, and if the original G15 had not existed I would probably rate it as the best.“
Walgreen sees movie-burning DVD kiosks at stores
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walgreen plans to put kiosks that can make DVDs of popular movies in drugstore photo departments next year, using a new system that would increase selection while avoiding piracy.
Recent change in copy-protection rules governing DVDs have freed Walgreen and other retailers to tap this new movie market by letting consumers burn digital copies onto blank discs at stores, industry watchers said.
NBC, Fox to launch online video site
LOS ANGELES - NBC and Fox are set to launch an advertising-supported online video site that hosts programming from varied entertainment companies in a bid to seize viewers from Google Inc.'s YouTube, the broadcasters said.
A test version of the site, Hulu.com, goes online Monday, with plans to premiere a final version in a few months, company officials said.
The site, developed by News Corp. and NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co., offers free viewing of full-length films and TV episodes, supported by advertising.
Graphics card demand to boost in 2Q08
Although recent market observations noted that the graphics card market is facing problems due to the trend of notebooks replacing desktop PCs, and IGP (integrated graphics processor) performance continuously improving, sources at first-tier graphics card makers remain optimistic and believe that the market should see a boost in the second quarter of 2008.
With Windows Vista SP1 and more DirectX 10-based games scheduled to launch in 2008, demand for DirectX 10-based graphics cards should see a boost, noted the sources.
Additionally, 20 and 22-inch widescreen monitors should become mainstream products in 2008, pushing the average monitor resolution up to 1680×1050. This could cause users with integrated graphics to upgrade for better performance, added the sources.
Quick Bytes
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
ZEROtherm Hurricane HC92 Cu 8800 VGA Cooler Review @ OCC
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 @ Techgage
Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor QX9650 Review @ Legit Reviews
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 @ HotHardware.com
Antec Quattro 850W at Overclockers Online
ASUS P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
Hauppauge WinTV HVR 1300 PCI Karte @ Hardware-Mods.com
Diamond xDNA - CrossFire on any chipset with any cards @ NordicHardware
Logitech G51 Surround Sound Speaker System Review @ OCIA.net
Salagar Symphony S210 Speakers @ Digital Trends
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| VH News: Weekend Edition
Posted by Diceman on Sunday, October 28, 2007 @ 1:49 |
| Mushkin 2x1GB HP3-10666 DDR3 Memory Kit Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Given the state of the DDR3 supplies and how the market is continuing to speed up with more and more variations of kits available, it was no surprise when we received Mushkin's Enhanced HP3-10666 2GB Memory kit. This is the beginning launch of their DDR3 memory line following up their very successful DDR2 memory which we've been privileged to test. Given the history of their memory modules, we expect something formidable none the less. Thanks in part to ASUS, we have a motherboard well tuned and tested that can support these modules.”
Apple imposes new limits on iPhone sales
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Apple Inc. no longer accepts cash for iPhone purchases and now limits sales of the cell phone to two per person in a move to stop people from reselling them.
The new policy started Thursday, said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris. Before then, there was no cash restriction and the purchase limit was five per person.
"Customer response to the iPhone has been off the charts, and limiting iPhone sales to two per customer helps us ensure that there are enough iPhones for people who are shopping for themselves or buying a gift," Kerris said. "We're requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers."
MySpace to Add Free Games
Users of the MySpace.com social networking Website will be able to add multiplayer games to their personal profile pages, and play them for free, from next year. MySpace has struck a deal with Oberon Media Inc. to make available hundreds of casual games from its portfolio, the companies said Tuesday.
MySpace provides a platform on which individuals or groups can build Web pages known as personal profiles, showcasing their tastes or talents in music or other aspects of multimedia creation. With the games channel MySpace plans, those users will also be able to highlight their favorite games, and perhaps find others to play them with.
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Thermalright IFX-14 CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Apevia X-Jupiter G Jr. Case Review @ OC Cafe
Sandio Game O 3D Mouse Review at Gamehelper.com
Logitech G9 Gaming Mouse Review @ Hardware Secrets
MSI GeForce NX8800GT 512MB Graphics Card @ tweaktown
Kingston DDR-3 14400U @ Hardwareoverclock Austria
Intel Core 2 Quad Performance: FSB @ NordicHardware
Revoltec Zirconium reviewed at BurnOutPC.com
Digit-Life Review: The Spiral of Technology
PQI Intelligent Drive i810 USB Flash Drive Review @ Rbmods
Heatpipes: The Investigation Begins @ Phoronix | | | | |
| VH News: Friday 2nd Ediiton
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 26, 2007 @ 5:40 |
| Sapphire HD2400XT and HD2600XT Graphics Cards Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Whether you want a sub $100 budget card or a sub $200 mid-range card, either one of these will be a good choice. Both cards performed well and with the new PCMark Vantage benchmark tests, you can see the Frames Per Second in the gaming GPU test. The XD2600XT doubled the FPS over the XD2400XT in gaming, but in the video playback and transcoding, results are almost identical. Each card comes with a DVI to HDMI adapter and this makes either card ideal for a home entertainment setup.”
Activision poised to score with "Guitar Hero 3"
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Activision Inc is set to launch "Guitar Hero 3" amid expectations that the latest installment of its music-themed franchise will be a platinum hit for the second-biggest U.S. video game publisher.
The game is the highly anticipated encore to one of the year's breakout successes, "Guitar Hero 2", which sold 3.9 million copies through September, according to market research firm NPD.
The game has become a cultural phenomenon. Bars have held "Guitar Hero" competitions and fans have uploaded videos of their best performances to the Internet. A search for "Guitar Hero" on YouTube returns 76,100 results.
Pentagon robot challenge goes corporate
LOS ANGELES - When the Pentagon's research arm first called for innovators to design and race a self-driving car to make warfare safer, a ragtag bunch of garage tinkerers, computer geeks and even high school students answered.
No one won the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's inaugural contest in 2004. An encore the following year produced five robots that crossed the finish line, and a team from Stanford University drove away with the $2 million prize.
If yesteryear's contests evoked the Wild West, with teams working in the open desert on a shoestring budget, this year's is modern: The field is more savvy, the terrain is urban and corporate sponsors and public relations machines have entered the fray.
"They've become like NASCAR teams with multiple sponsors and stickers on everything," said Peter Singer, a Brookings Institution senior fellow who has followed the DARPA competitions. "It shows that it's becoming big business."
Leopard, uncaged: Mac OS X upgrade debuts
Leopard, the new version of Apple's operating system, hits stores Friday with a wide array of new features to check out, from Time Machine to Cover Flow to iChat Theater. | | | | |
| VH News: Friday Ediiton
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 26, 2007 @ 2:02 |
| AMD Black Edition CPU may not help AMD-based motherboard demand
Although AMD has launched the Black Edition Athlon 64 X2 5000+ CPU with an unlocked multiplier, some motherboard makers are taking a conservative view over whether the CPU will help win back market share, according to sources at motherboard makers.
Some motherboard makers have no plans to adjust their current shipment proportions since they do not think the Black Edition CPUs will lead to any increase in demand for AMD motherboard, noted the sources.
Microsoft sees progress in getting Windows on XO
BOSTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has made progress in getting its Windows software to work on a low-cost laptop computer for poor children that currently runs on rival Linux software, an executive said on Thursday.
The world's largest software company is now working to adapt a basic version of Windows XP so it is compatible with the nonprofit One Laptop per Child Foundation's small green-and-white XO laptop.
"We're spending a nontrivial amount of money on it," Microsoft Corporate Vice President Will Poole said in an interview on Thursday.
CNet sells Webshots for $45 million
SAN FRANCISCO - Online technology news and entertainment provider CNet Networks Inc. has sold photo-sharing site Webshots to American Greetings Corp. for $45 million, substantially less than the service cost to acquire three years ago.
The San Francisco-based company announced the deal Thursday along with its third-quarter financial results. CNet suffered a loss of $16.6 million during the three months ended in September, widening from a loss of $2.3 million at the same time last year.
The Webshots sale represented another setback because CNet bought the site for $70 million in 2004. Since then, Webshots has faced tougher competition from other photo sharing services such as Yahoo Inc.'s Flickr.
Gateway to launch laptop series in Q1
San Francisco (IDGNS) - The new Gateway will launch a complete line of notebook PCs as one of many steps to revitalize its business after merging with Acer, an Acer executive said Friday.
"Gateway's problem in the U.S. is that it mainly sells desktops, but the notebook is the fastest growing segment," said Gianfranco Lanci, president of Acer, during the company's third quarter investors conference in Taipei.
New Gateway laptop PCs could be out as early as the first quarter of next year. Lanci said that no changes to Gateway's product lineup will be visible until then because it takes at least one quarter to discuss new products with retailers and distributors.
Quick Bytes
Patriot PC3-15000 DDR3 1866MHz 2GB RAM Kit @ Benchmark Reviews
Sapphire HD 2600Pro AGP Review @ OCC
JVC TH-L1 Home Theater Review @ Digital Trends
Pinnacle PCTV HD PCI Video Capture Card Review @ ocnodshop
Ultra X3 Modular PSU @ Bjorn3D
DH Review: Hiper 5M730 PSU
Thermalright HR-11 VGA Backside Cooler Review @ HardwareLogic
Antec Truepower Quattro 850W versus Silverstone Decathlon 850W PSU Review @ Hardwarecanucks
USB Portable Paper Shredder from USBGeek @ DragonSteelMods
Plustek Book Reader Review on Technic3D | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 25, 2007 @ 10:24 |
| Lapinator vs. Lapinator Plus Comparison Updated! @ Virtual-Hideout
“It's been almost 2 years since I originally reviewed the Lapinator line of laptop desks. Seldom does any product stick around long enough in my house to be worthy of an update on the review, but the Lapinator Plus is the exception.”
OCZ Technology Group Acquires Renowned System Builder, Hypersonic PC
Sunnyvale, Calif.—October 25, 2007—OCZ today announced immediate plans to bring Hypersonic PC into the OCZ Technology Group. Known primarily as the worldwide leader in innovative, high-performance computer memory and power supply units, OCZ acquired Hypersonic PC to employ their rich expertise in high-end system building and take the organization and mobile gaming to the next level. Hypersonic has been paving the way in maximum performance computing since 1996 and established themselves as a leader attributable to their diligent focus on technology, quality, craftsmanship, and world-class support. Under the OCZ Technology Group, the Hypersonic vision can be taken to new heights and grow in key areas of innovation, product development, and market reach.
Combined with their highly personalized solutions and aggressive deployment of the newest advances in PC technology, Hypersonic has earned numerous industry awards and recognition and filled the enthusiast niche unlike any system builder. Their extensive product line includes highly-tuned gaming systems, cutting-edge notebooks, and powerful workstations and is a culmination of their dedication to their craft and the end-user.
With OCZ taking the lead, the goal is to carry on the Hypersonic tradition of catering to the demands of the high-end market while increasing resources to maximize innovation and technological leadership and at the same time maintaining their high level of service, quality-control, and customization. Hypersonic PC’s time-honored reputation for putting the extreme enthusiast and gamer at the forefront of product design and development can now be taken to the next level with the acquisition.
Quick Bytes
Gigabyte Triton 180 Case Review @ Tweaknews.net
Asus Blitz Formula Motherboard @ Viper Lair
Fansis FS-PSU Review - XSReviews
The ASRock 4Core1333-Viiv Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
Akasa Revo CPU Cooler @ techPowerUp
OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 Gold Edition Memory @ Pro-Clockers
Samsung SCX-4500 MFP @ DreamWare Computers | | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday 3rd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 25, 2007 @ 12:03 |
| Microsoft buys Facebook stake for $240M
SAN FRANCISCO - Rapidly rising Internet star Facebook Inc. has sold a 1.6 percent stake to Microsoft Corp. for $240 million, spurning a competing offer from online search leader Google Inc.
Culminating weeks of negotiations, the investment announced Wednesday values Palo Alto-based Facebook at $15 billion — a stunning figure for an online hangout started in a Harvard University dorm room less than four years ago.
Microsoft also will sell Internet ads for Facebook as the site expands outside the United States, broadening a marketing relationship that began last year.
eBay site lets people finance the world's poor
NEW YORK (Reuters) - EBay Inc, the world's largest online auctioneer and payments company, launched on Wednesday a Web site allowing ordinary investors to buy securities aimed at improving conditions in the world's poorest countries.
MicroPlace, located at http://www.microplace.com, will allow people to invest as little as $100 to support development in impoverished areas.
So-called microfinance is the supply of loans, savings, insurance and other basic financial services to low-income households and businesses, typically without collateral. It is often conducted in emerging economies, where people cannot typically obtain bank loans.
Blu-ray outsells HD-DVD in U.S. for first 9 months
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Blu-ray DVD titles outsold rival HD-DVD titles by almost 2-to-1 in the first nine months of the year, but analysts expect additional HD-DVD support and new hit releases to "transform" the high-definition DVD battle score in the fourth quarter.
I don't care. I still love my HD-DVD!
NOTICE TO PURCHASERS OF SEAGATE BRAND HARD DISC DRIVES FROM MARCH 22, 2001 TO SEPTEMBER 26, 2007
You are a member of the Settlement Class if, between March 22, 2001, and September 26, 2007, you purchased in the United States a new Seagate Retail Hard Drive. A "Retail Hard Drive" is a Seagate brand hard disc drive that you purchased from an authorized Seagate retailer or distributor, separately as a Seagate product that was not pre-installed into and sold bundled with a personal computer or other electronic device
Mushkin HP3-10666 2GB DDR3-1333 Memory Kit Review @ PCSTATS.com
"The Mushkin memory that's up for testing today is its 2GB HP3-10666 (DDR3-1333) memory kit. By default the memory is rated to run at 1333 MHz with low CAS latency timings of 6-7-6-18, on a voltage of 1.7-1.8V. Much of the DDR3 memory on the market has a CAS Latency of 7 or 8, so Mushkin's memory here will perform faster clock for clock compared to the competition!" | | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 @ 6:17 |
| Comcast Impersonates Users To Control P2P Traffic
Comcast interferes with peer-to-peer traffic on its cable network by masquerading as users and resetting connections, the Associated Press reported on Friday. Apparently in an effort to maintain quality of service, Comcast cuts off uploads of files to BitTorrent and other P2P networks.
While observers agree that an Internet service provider needs to be able manage its traffic, the way Comcast is going about this -- by impersonating customers -- is troubling to many.
"Comcast is in an interesting position because the amount of outbound and inbound traffic is constrained in their network," Dane Jasper, CEO of Sonic.net, a California ISP, said in a telephone interview. "In an asynchronous network, as the amount of outbound traffic grows, inbound rates will decrease." Thus in order to maintain service quality for inbound traffic, which is important to all users, Comcast is throttling outbound P2P traffic.
Facebook users can poke friends via BlackBerry. Application also will let users receive messages and upload photos
TORONTO - BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has launched Facebook software designed especially for its smartphones to make it easier for users to browse the popular social networking Web site.
T-Mobile USA has been chosen as the first carrier to provide the new software to its customers, RIM said on Wednesday.
The application will let users receive Facebook notifications and messages automatically and scroll through them quickly, just like the e-mail service for which the BlackBerry is already well known. Users can also read and compose messages even while off line, RIM said.
Facebook near deal with Google or Microsoft: reports
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Online social network Facebook is close to reaching a deal with Google Inc or Microsoft Corp for an investment that would value the company as high as $15 billion, according to media reports on Wednesday.
A Facebook deal would include an agreement with the investing company to handle its overseas advertising sales, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
AMD tri-core CPU codenames and features revealed
Codenames and features of the tri-core CPUs AMD is planning to launch next year and in 2009 have been revealed by sources at motherboard makers.
Toliman adopts a 65nm process, supports socket AM2+ motherboards, and supports HyperTransport 3.0. The CPUs will have 2MB L3 cache and will be launched by the end of March 2008, according to the sources.
The next-generation, 45nm-based CPUs will adopt socket AM3, support HyperTransport 3.0 and DDR2/DDR3 memory, and will launch in first half of 2009, noted the sources.
Quick Bytes
Corsair Voyager GT @ Bjorn3D
Kingwin Revolution RVT-9225 Heatpipe Direct Touch CPU Cooler Review @ Bigbruin.com
Hate the Price of InkJet Cartidges? Try a Different Kind of Printer @ pcmech
Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray Disc Player Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Cooler Master Sphere CPU Cooler Review @ HardwareLogic
Logitech G9 Laser Gaming Mouse @ ASE Labs
ASUS Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1 PCI Sound Card @ HotHardware.com
ATP ToughDrive Mini 2GB Review - XSReviews
Digit-Life Review: ECS GeForce 8600 GT - Factory Overclocking and Passive Cooling
Sapphire ATI RADEON HD 2600XT at Modders-Inc
ATP Petito 2GB Review @ XSReviews
OCZ ATV Turbo 4GB Review - XSReviews
DH Review: Zalman Headsets (ZM-RS6F USB and ZM-DS4F) | | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 @ 5:23 |
| Kingwin Z1 External HDD Enclosure Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Overall these Kingwin Z1 hard drive enclosures are of good quality and the kit includes everything you need to get up and running other than the hard drive itself. The ability to use wither USB 2.0 or e-SATA is a nice option if you're switching between maybe a main rig with e-SATA and an older rig with only USB ports.”
OCZ Technology Announces 500W StealthXStream PSU, a Power Management Solution with Excellent Value
Sunnyvale, CA—October 23, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high-reliability memory and power supplies, today announced the new 500 Watt StealthXStream Power Supply to offer a sufficient source of power for mainstream gaming PCs. The 500W edition features the same understated look as its 600W predecessor with a sleek black case and unlit fan for the value-conscious consumer seeking effective, quiet performance. Qualified under the watchful eye of the Power Management division at PC Power & Cooling, the StealthXStream is built for superior reliability at an extremely affordable price point.
Quick Bytes
Genius ErgoMedia 500 Review @ TechwareLabs
SteelSeries S&S Gaming Surface @ Pro-Clockers
Saitek Cyborg Gamepad Review @ OCC
Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi Review @ neoseeker
ASUS Maximus Formula Special Edition @ Techgage
MSI NX8600GTS OC Video Card Review @ OCIA.net
Asus Xonar D2 Sound Card @ APH Networks
ACRyan AluBox reviewed at BurnOutPC.com
Shure SE310 Canalphones Review @ Digital Trends
OCZ DDR3 PC3-14400 Platinum 2 GB @ techPowerUp
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| VH News: Tuesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 @ 5:13 |
| GIGABYTE iSolo 210 ATX Chassis Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Gigabyte has been around for some time and is widely considered a top competitor in the enthusiast motherboard market. However in recent times they have expanded their product line to cover video cards, powers supplies, CPU cooling and chassis. Today I have a chance to review the Gigabyte iSolo 210 case, their newest addition to their budget line of cases, this steel case may not possess all of the exciting features found in the enthusiast level chassis line they offer, but let’s dig in and see how this case stacks up in its price range.”
Ultra's new 3.5" Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler with Heatpipes
Keep your hard drive running a peak efficiency by keeping it as cool as possible. The Ultra Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler with Heatpipes dissipates heat efficiently and quietly. The hard drive cooler features passive thermal heat dissipation using fan-less operation, high-performance sintered powder heatpipes and top heatsink fins. The rubber dampers reduce your hard drives noise and vibration to make your PC run as quiet as possible. Make your hard drive run quieter and cooler with Ultra’s Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler with Heatpipes today!
StumbleUpon shares friends' reviews of major sites
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - StumbleUpon, a fast rising Web search site bought by eBay Inc in May, is moving beyond automated Web discovery to offer a novel way to see what friends find useful or interesting on the Web.
StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com), which has attracted 3.7 million consumers to its easy-to-use "thumbs up/thumbs down" ratings of Web sites and videos, said on Monday it plans to introduce a new SearchReviews feature on major Web sites.
British, Dutch police close major pirate site. OiNK Web site distributed albums before their official release
LONDON - British and Dutch police shut down what they say is one the world's biggest online sources of pirated music Tuesday and arrested the Web site's 24-year-old suspected operator.
The invitation-only OiNK Web site specialized in distributing albums leaked before their official release by record companies, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said.
Many among OiNK's estimated 180,000 members paid "donations" to upload or download albums, often weeks before their release, and within hours albums would be distributed through public forums and blogs across the Internet. Users were invited to the site if they could prove they had music to share, the IFPI said.
Cisco to buy Navini for $330 million
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Cisco Systems Inc. is snapping up privately held Navini Networks Inc. for $330 million, extending the networking equipment maker's acquisition streak and providing the latest validation for the new wireless network technology called WiMax.
Cisco, the world's largest maker of routers and switches to direct traffic over the Internet, said Tuesday that Navini's technology will help it build high-speed Internet networks deep in emerging markets where traditional Internet infrastructure doesn't exist or is spotty.
Unlike Wi-Fi networks, which are found in homes and cafes and typically have a range of just a few hundred yards, WiMax networks can extend for miles and blanket entire cities with broadband connectivity.
Web sites offer DNA testing
NEW YORK - Two services launching just a week apart tap a growing interest in DNA testing to help people find their ancestors and learn more about their lives.
GeneTree, which opens Tuesday, and Ancestry.com, which started its DNA Ancestry service last Tuesday, both sell DNA kits for less than $200. Users can build online family trees and contact others with DNA matches to compare family histories.
Quick Bytes
Aperion Audio Intimus 422 Harmony Speakers Contest @ Digital Trends
8800 GTS Hurricane "Luxury Edition" @ Hardware-Mods.com
Digit-Life Review: HIS RADEON HD 2900 PRO 512MB
Vvikoo 8600GT Turbo Review - XSReviews
Edifier M3400 2.1 Speaker System Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Rosewill RX-358-S-SLV eSATA and USB Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ Bigbruin.com
NVIDIA 8600 GT DDR2 vs DDR3 in 12 Games @ Madshrimps
Intel X38 Chipsatz am ASUS P5E3 Deluxe @ ocaholic.ch
Razer Diamondback 3G Gaming Mouse Reviewed @ TheTechLounge
Lian Li PC-B25B Black Aluminum Mid-Tower ATX Case @ BmR
Zotac Technology 256MB geForce 8600GTS Graphics Card Review @ OCIA.net
Scythe Kamacross CPU cooler @ Pro-Clockers
Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. S Type Review @ OCC
Thermaltake TMG i1 CPU Cooler @ Hardware Secrets
HP Compaq 2510p Laptop Review @ Digital Trends
MSI RX2600XT Diamond Radeon HD 2600XT Videocard Review @ PCSTATS.com
Zalman CNPS7800 LED Heatsink Review @ hi-techreviews.com
| | | | |
| VH News. Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 22, 2007 @ 3:35 |
| Microsoft finally bows to EU antitrust measures
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp ended three years of resistance on Monday, finally agreeing to comply with a landmark 2004 antitrust decision by the European Commission.
The defeated software giant announced it would not appeal against a decisive European Union court ruling two months ago that backed the bloc's executive Commission.
"The repercussions of these changes will start now and will continue for years to come," Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes told a news conference, adding that Microsoft's agreement would have "profound effects" on the software industry.
Nintendo tops EA in annual industry list. Game Developer magazine added reputation feedback to methodology
This year, Mario trumps “Madden.”
Maybe not in overall revenues, but according to the top 20 publisher’s list, put out annually by Game Developer Magazine, Nintendo leveled up on Electronic Arts this year.
How? It wasn’t pure financials, although Nintendo was competitive in that respect. And it wasn’t due to number of releases: Nintendo shipped just 32 games last year. EA shipped 116.
Staples to sell Dell PCs
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Dell Inc. plans to sell computers and other electronics gear at 1,400 Staples Inc. stores, the latest departure from the direct-to-customer business model pioneered by the No. 2 computer maker.
Dell and the world's biggest office products supplier announced Monday that Staples would offer Dell desktop and notebook computers, monitors, printers, ink and toner starting Nov. 11. Dell products also will be available through Staples' Web site.
Initial Dell computer models to be sold at Staples include Inspiron 1721 and 1521 notebooks, and Inspiron 530 desktops.
Quick Bytes
VVIKOO GeForce 8600 GT Turbo @ techPowerUp
AMD DTX Small Form Factor System Sneak Peek @ HotHardware.com
Gigabyte Radeon HD2600XT DDR3 @ Hardwareoverclock Austria
Danger Den Torture Rack Review @ HardwareLogic
ASUS P5E3 Deluxe @ Phoronix
Zalman VF1000 LED Video Card Cooler Review @ Madshrimps
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 @ Bjorn3D
APEVIA X-Jupiter Jr. G Type Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Altec Lansing inMotion iMV712 Review @ OCC
Trendnet TEW-633GR Wireless N Gigabit Router Review @ thetechzone
Cooler Master CM690 Chassis Review @ OCIA.net
Zalman Reserator XT at Overclockers Online
Coolmax CUQ-1200B Green Power 1200 Watt ATX Power Supply Review @ Tweaknews.net
High-Speed DDR3 Overclocking and Review Series @ BmR
The Baby-SATA Cable Mod by Metku.net
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| VH News: Weekend 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Sunday, October 21, 2007 @ 3:03 |
| Media Giants Agree on Web Copyright Rules
Forrester analyst James McQuivey said that the agreement between Disney, Microsoft, NBC Universal, and others over posting copyright-protected content online is not a step forward. "All it did was put in one place the arguments that they have been making behind closed doors," he said, adding that it doesn't propose a specific technology.
Ballmer: Microsoft search is 'precocious toddler'
SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer compared the company's search technology to a precocious toddler — one who would eventually grow up to rival nemesis Google.
During an animated discussion at the Web 2.0 Summit moderated by organizer John Battelle, Ballmer took a paternal tone, saying Microsoft's own Web search technology needed improvements.
"You're just 3 years old, and we've got you in there playing basketball with a 12-year-old," Ballmer gushed and gesticulated, nearly popping out of his seat. "You're growing up quick and getting better every day, and you've got all the potential in world, and it may take you 'til you're 7, 8, 9 or 10, but you're gonna dunk and you're gonna dunk on the other guy some day, Johnny."
AP tests Comcast's file-sharing filter
NEW YORK - To test claims by users that Comcast Corp. was blocking some forms of file-sharing traffic, The Associated Press went to the Bible.
An AP reporter attempted to download, using file-sharing program BitTorrent, a copy of the King James Bible from two computers in the Philadelphia and San Francisco areas, both of which were connected to the Internet through Comcast cable modems.
We picked the Bible for the test because it's not protected by copyright and the file is a convenient size.
In two out of three tries, the transfer was blocked. In the third, the transfer started only after a 10-minute delay. When we tried to upload files that were in demand by a wider number of BitTorrent users, those connections were also blocked.
Google Execs Really Do Hate Evil
At the last day of the Web 2.0 Summit, attendees learned that having their genome mapped will set them back US$300,000 and that Google Inc.'s founders really stress over the prevention and extermination of evil.
ADVERTISEMENT
During a panel of former Google employees, they confirmed to moderator and conference chair John Battelle that, yes, Larry Page and Sergey Brin do factor heavily into business and technology decisions whether they will have evil consequences.
Quick Bytes
AeroCool AeroEngine-Plus ATX Case Review @ Legit Reviews
Zalman ZM-MFC2 Review @ OC Cafe
Apevia X-Jupiter Type G Tower Case Review @ OCIA.net
AeroCool GateWatch Fan Controller Review @ FusionMods.Net
Asus PG221 22" Widescreen LCD @ HotHardware.com
G.Skill PC2-6400 (2GBHK) 2GB DDR2-800 Kit Review @ MVKTech
Spire CoolForce IV VGA Cooler Review on Technic3D
Interview: Chris Pirillo, from Lockergnome | | | | |
| VH News: Friday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 19, 2007 @ 1:44 |
| ASUS Blitz Formula & Blitz Extreme Motherboards Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“ASUS has been gracious in providing us with two enthusiast minded solutions for both DDR2 and DDR3 utilizing the same P35 chipset, in the Blitz Formula and Blitz Extreme. Why would ASUS consider offering the two options? Well in a nut shell, it simply saves you some money since new memory standards are always costly at the start and some users would like to really maximize their DDR2 based system. ASUS is well aware of this and felt that there was no reason why both kinds of memory module owners couldn't have a little bit of cake and ice cream. The only question you would need to ask yourself is, which flavor ice cream you would like.”
Comcast blocks some Internet traffic. Tests confirm data discrimination by number 2 U.S. service provider
NEW YORK - Comcast Corp. actively interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic equally.
The interference, which The Associated Press confirmed through nationwide tests, is the most drastic example yet of data discrimination by a U.S. Internet service provider. It involves company computers masquerading as those of its users.
If widely applied by other ISPs, the technology Comcast is using would be a crippling blow to the BitTorrent, eDonkey and Gnutella file-sharing networks. While these are mainly known as sources of copyright music, software and movies, BitTorrent in particular is emerging as a legitimate tool for quickly disseminating legal content.
Solo games live on in multiplayer world
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Video game developers, eager to please all consumers, are increasingly including features that let gamers play with or against their friends.
With Microsoft trying to convince people to plunk down $50 a year for its Xbox Live service, and Sony eyeing the sale of movies and music over its fledgling network, developers are under more pressure than ever to include some sort of online component.
The best-known example may be Microsoft's "Halo 3", but last week also saw the release of "The Orange Box" -- a collection of "Half-Life 2" content from Electronic Arts that includes a long-awaited multiplayer-only title called "Team Fortress 2". The week before that had the launch of "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars" from Activision.
Officials hail satellite rescue system
WASHINGTON - At first Megan Minor thought the warnings her ship was sinking were just another drill, until she looked toward the engine room and saw water coming up the stairs.
Thanks to rapid response based on satellite signals, she and the crew of the Jacob Alan were quickly rescued, she said Friday at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Search-and-Rescue satellite system.
When Minor was plucked from the Atlantic Ocean off Massachusetts on Sept. 28, she became one of more than 22,000 individuals worldwide who have been rescued in the 25 years the COSPAS-SARSAT system has been operating.
Quick Bytes:
Apevia X-QPack 2 @ techPowerUp
Ultra X3 800w Modular Power Supply Review @ OCIA.net
Foxconn "Digital Life" X38A (Intel X38) @ hardwarezone
LaCie 2big Triple (2TB) Hard Drive Review @ Digital Trends
ASUS P5K3 Deluxe WIFI AP Edition @ Bjorn3D
Antec Neopower 650W Blue Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laptop Mouse @ APH Networks
LapWorks Futura Desk @ TechwareLabs
AeroCool AeroEngine-Plus ATX Case Review @ Legit Reviews
Give Windows XP That Vista Feeling @ pcmech
Asus PG221 22" Widescreen LCD @ HotHardware.com
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| VH News: Friday Outage Edition
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 19, 2007 @ 1:41 |
| | Hey guys. In case you didn't notice this morning, VH was down for about 12 hours. I was doing some maintenance, etc. Just wanted to let you know we're back up 100% and nothing was wrong. We're not going anywhere, no worries. Thanks for your patience and sorry if there was any inconvenience. | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 18, 2007 @ 1:13 |
| OCZ Technology Introduces Two New Titanium Edition Memory Kits, Coupling Low Latencies with High Speeds to Meet Enthusiast Demands
Sunnyvale, CA—October 17, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced two new PC2-6400 Titanium Edition dual channel kits. These modules feature enhanced timings with low latencies, and are the ultimate upgrade in performance or capacity for gamers and enthusiasts in need of a rock solid memory kit.
As part of the OCZ Titanium series, the PC2-6400 CL3 Edition modules are engineered to satisfy the demands of overclockers and enthusiasts, delivering the tight latencies and speed gamers require for today’s graphic-intensive DirectX 10 PC games. The PC2-6400 Titanium CL3 Edition tackles your toughest computing experience at blistering 3-4-4 timings at 800MHz, offering superior bandwidth and stability on the latest platforms.
For enthusiasts shifting to Vista and who need the performance of high speed memory, the PC2-6400 Titanium 4GB kit is the ideal upgrade from the standard 2GB of RAM. The OCZ PC-6400 4GB Titanium series was developed to provide a superior computing experience that ensures the best possible gaming and productivity, and at incredible 4-4-4 timings offers tighter timings than typical 4GB kits.
“Because Vista allows physical address extension as integral part of the operating system, users are no longer limited to the 2GB user memory space but can take full advantage of the new 4GB kits, even in a 32-bit computing environment,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “Both these new low latency modules and kits are OCZ’s contribution to enhanced user experience in demanding applications or mega-tasking environments.”
Apple to open iPhone for developers
SAN JOSE, Calif. - In an apparent about-face, Apple Inc. will allow third-party applications to work directly on the iPhone, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a posting on the company's Web site Wednesday. Apple infuriated developers and some iPhone users when it issued a software update Sept. 27 that disabled unofficial programs installed on the handsets.
Until Wednesday, Apple had tried to control which applications consumers had on their iPhones.
Now, Jobs said the company intends to release a software development kit in February that will let coders create applications to work directly on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The Touch is the new iPod portable player that resembles the iPhone but lacks the function of a cell phone.
Quick Bytes:
Sirtec HighPower RockSolid 1000W PSU @ techPowerUp
OCZ HydroJet CPU Cooler Prototype (2nd version) @ Hardware Secrets
the Zalman Z-Machine GT1000 @ HotHardware.com
MSI K9AG Neo2-Digital AMD 690G Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com
Logisys 550W LED Acrylic Power Supply @ GideonTech.com
Digit-Life Review: Motherboard Roundup: 12 Solutions on AMD 690G (Socket AM2) Chipset
Tt Mozart iP iPod HTPC Case Review @ OC Cafe
Apevia X-Jupiter Jr G Mid Tower ATX Case @ Benchmark Reviews
Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset Review @ OCC
Rosewill R6AS5 PC Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Kingwin Z1 Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ Tweaknews.net
Altec Lansing FX3020 SoundBar @ Techgage
SouthWing SH505 Bluetooth Headset Review @ Legit Reviews
I4U: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB HDD Review
OCZ Vanquisher CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc
Futuremark PCMark Vantage @ Techgage
Futuremark PCMark Vantage @ Bjorn3D
Kingston 4GB DataTraveler 100 @ TechwareLabs
Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ Bigbruin.com
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| VH News: Wednesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 @ 1:52 |
| CoolerMaster Gemin II CPU Cooler Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“When this next item was offered up for review, I jumped on the opportunity right away. I seem to get weird, off-the-wall items to review *cough*Bat case*cough* and, well, this next item definitely falls into the weird category. The item in question is the Gemin II from CoolerMaster, or as I like to call it, "The Griddle". The Gemin II is a large, low sitting cooler designed to not only cool the CPU, but many of the other motherboard components around the CPU, like the capacitor and RAM. The Gemin II uses two 120mm fans (not included) to cool its large surface.”
Best Buy ends sales of analog TVs. Electronics retailer said it will stop selling products Oct. 1
MINNEAPOLIS - Best Buy Co. said Wednesday it has stopped selling analog televisions and pulled all remaining stock from its shelves, signalling the end of an era as consumers increasingly move toward digital products with flat-panel and high-definition screens.
Best Buy, one of the nation's top electronics retailers, heralded the reign of digital TVs, saying it made the move "as the end of the analog broadcast era draws near." Best Buy instructed stores to stop selling the products on Oct. 1.
Sprint to introduce touch-screen phone
NEW YORK - It's official: touch screens are the big new thing in cell phones this holiday season.
Sprint Nextel Corp. announced Wednesday it is jumping on the bandwagon with the Touch by HTC. Like Apple Inc.'s iPhone, this smart phone has only a few buttons and is designed to be controlled by touching the screen. The Touch will go on sale Nov. 4 for $250 with a two-year contract.
Sex, Nazi, burrito and Viagra: Who Googles what?
BERLIN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Internet users in Egypt, India and Turkey are the world's most frequent searchers for Web sites using the keyword "sex" on Google search engines, according to statistics provided by Google Inc.
Germany, Mexico and Austria were world's top three searchers of the word "Hitler" while "Nazi" scored the most hits in Chile, Australia and the United Kingdom, data from 2004 to the present retrievable on the "Google Trends" Web site showed.
Chile also came in first place searching for the word "gay", followed by Mexico and Colombia.
Asustek Eee PC goes on sale in Taiwan
Asustek Computer's low-cost Eee PC notebook has gone on sale in Taiwan with pricing at online retailers at around NT$11,655 (US$358). This is much higher than the price of US$199 Asustek originally promoted for the portable PC, but this was to be as expected as Asustek recently admitted that the lower price would only be available for bulk purchases of a model with lower specifications, and which is intended for emerging markets.
The model now on sale in Taiwan features a 7-inch LCD display, 4GB solid state storage, 512MB DDR2 RAM and runs on an Intel mobile processor. Weight is given as 920g. The devices also features three USB 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi b/g connectivity, a VGA output, two audio jacks, Secure Digital (SD) card reader (which according to earlier reports also supports SDHC cards), webcam, speakers, and LAN and modem ports. Battery life is listed as 3.5 hours.
Quick Bytes:
Sub $400 Budget AMD System Review @ Madshrimps
Foxconn A690GM2MA-RS2H AMD 690G Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com
GIGABYTE GA-G33M-S2H @ Bjorn3D
A Look At The 2nd Generation Microsoft Zune @ The TechZone
Envision H190L 19-inch LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Moneual Labs MonCaso 932P Platinum HTPC Enclosure Review @ OCIA.net
NZXT Lexa Blackline Case Review @ OCC
eDimensional AudioFX Pro 5+1 Headset by BenHeck @ 3dgameman
Apack Zerotherm GX810 vga cooler @ Hardwareoverclock Austria
Using the XBox 360 as an HTPC with uShare @ BIOSLEVEL.com
Chill Factor vs. Liquid Pro Thermal Paste review at Metku
Computer Building Guide (part 1 of 2) @ Rbmods
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| VH News: Tuesday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 @ 5:25 |
| CoolIT Chill Out Upgrade Program
If you have any computer CPU cooling system, no matter how old, no matter how functional, trade it in to us and we'll give you up to 30% off any of our products! Just visit the website for details!
iRegret: Apple's smartphone isn't so smart. No measurable improvements to this remarkably inventive device
My feeling toward my iPhone has gone from reasonably hopeful to hopeless regret.
When I purchased the iPhone the day they came out, I told myself that the long list of gripes was tolerable because Apple would very likely add so many of the missing features commonly found on every other smartphone. Simple things, like the ability to look up a contact by tapping in a few letters, or a way to copy and paste information from an e-mail or Web page into a contact or note card.
Napster relaunches with Web-enabled platform
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Napster Inc, the digital music service, said on Tuesday it plans to attract more customers by moving to a Web-based platform allowing users to play their music from any computer without having to download any additional software.
The move is intended to open up the service and attract more paying subscribers by making the Napster platform more flexible and compatible with any Internet-enabled device.
Apple's new operating system to hit stores Oct 26
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday the newest version of its Macintosh operating system will go on sale on October 26, finally hitting the market after a four-month delay due to the company's work on the iPhone.
The new operating system, which is called Leopard, is the sixth update to Apple's OS X software and will cost $129 for a single user and $199 for a family pack, which can be installed on up to five computers in a single household.
House votes to renew Internet tax block
WASHINGTON - The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a four-year extension of a moratorium on state and local taxes on Internet access, despite widespread support in both parties for a permanent ban.
The tax ban, first passed in 1998, is set to expire on Nov. 1. The extension exempts some states that approved taxes prior to the original enactment.
The vote was 405-2.
"This bill is pro consumer, pro innovation and pro technology," said Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., one of the bill's sponsors.
Corsair Announces TX Series of Power Supplies for PC Enthusiasts and Extreme Gamers
Fremont, CA, October 16, 2007 – Corsair® www.corsair.com, a worldwide leader in design and manufacturer of high-performance memory and peripheral components, today announced the latest addition to their Corsair power supply lineup: the Corsair TX Series. Inspired by Corsair’s award-winning HX Series, Corsair has engineered the TX Series to be a family of high-wattage, high-performance power supplies that meets and exceeds the most demanding specifications of enthusiasts and performance seekers
Quick Bytes:
Antec Performance One P182SE Case @ Hardware Secrets
Intel X38 Motherboard Roundup @ cdrinfo
Corsair 3GB (2GB + 1GB) DDR2 667 Mac Notebook Memory Upgrade @ Legit Reviews
ZEROtherm Hurricane HC92 CU 8800 Review - XSReviews
OCZ ATV Turbo 4GB Flash Drive Review @ Hardwarecanucks
XFX Fatal1ty 8600GT review - XSReviews
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 M0 Stepping CPU Review @ Madshrimps
Arctic Cooling Accelero S1: Can you say quiet and cool? @ Bjorn3D
Zalman CNPS8700 LED INTEL/AMD CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews.net
OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-9200 DDR2 1150MHz RAM Kit @ Benchmark Reviews
| | | | |
| VH News: Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 15, 2007 @ 3:57 |
| GIGABYTE GA-P31-DS3L Motherboard Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Intel has two chipsets in the P3x family, the Intel P35 Express and the P31 Express. The P35 Express is designed for higher performance platforms, with support for DDR2 or DDR3 memory and the ICH9 series Southbridge. The P31 being tailored for budget systems, only supports DDR2 memory and features Intel’s older ICH7 series Southbridge. However the P31 has one major advantage price. Today I’ll be reviewing Gigabyte’s GA-P31-DS3L platform based on the Intel P31 chipset. Let’s dig in and see how this board stacks up.”
Hitachi: Hard drives are getting better
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Multimedia stockpilers need not worry about laptops, digital video recorders or portable music players hitting a storage capacity ceiling any time soon.
Hitachi Ltd. says its researchers have successfully shrunken a key component in hard drives to a nanoscale that will pave the way for quadrupling today's storage limits to 4 terabytes for desktop computers and 1 terabyte on laptops in 2011.
Asustek may expand branded notebook PC business via acquisition
The branded notebook business is part of Asustek Computer's long-term strategy and the company does not rule out the possibility of sustaining the growth of its brand-product business through acquisition, according to Jonathan Tsang, president for sales and marketing at Asustek.
Tsang's statement indicated that Asustek may follow Acer's step in expanding its share of in the global notebook market after the company officially spins off its ODM business in 2008, observed sources in Taiwan's PC industry.
An acquisition would be a positive choice since Asustek has recently mapped out a "Double Three" plan, aiming to be among the top-five companies in the global notebook market within three years and further to lift its ranking into the top-three in another three years, indicated the sources.
ASRock may not achieve its shipment goal for 2007, says paper
Second-tier motherboard maker ASRock set a goal to ship 12 million motherboards in 2007, however its accumulated shipments for the first nine months have not even reached five million, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report, which cited market sources.
ASRock shipped around 500,000 motherboards in September with revenues of NT$710 million (US$21.8 million), a drop of 55% on year. The paper stated that the trend of notebooks replacing desktop PCs is becoming more obvious, therefore the peak season in the fourth quarter will provide only limited benefit to the company. ASRock will ship a total of seven million motherboards in 2007, a drop of 30% on year, noted the paper.
Nanotech produces plastic as strong as steel. Researchers mimic structures found in seashells, using clay and glue
By mimicking structures found in seashells, scientists have created a transparent plastic that is as strong as steel.
For years scientists have tried to build sturdy materials for larger products from ultrastrong nano-size building blocks, such as nanotubes, nanosheets and nanorods, only to have the larger structures turn out comparatively weak.
"When you tried to build something you can hold in your arms, scientists had difficulties transferring the strength of individual nanosheets or nanotubes to the entire material," said study leader Nicholas Kotov of the University of Michigan.
Is there a bruise on Apple's reputation? Some think company's stellar service is failing to keep up with its growth
For Apple, there may be a downside to success. Sales of the Cupertino, Calif.-company's Macintosh machines are growing three times as fast as the overall PC market. Its iPod music player is burying the competition. And the stylish iPhone is setting the wireless industry on its head. But as Apple pulls in millions more customers with different kinds of products, it's getting harder to keep them all happy.
Quick Bytes:
Brando USB Mini Fridge Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Kingwin Mach 1 800W Modular PSU @ 3dgameman
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 Premium CPU Kühler @ Cooling-Station
Lian Li PC-A70 @ techPowerUp
OCZ Reaper Heatpipe Cooled Memory Review @ OC Cafe
Apack ZEROtherm "Nirvana" NV120 CPU-Kühler @ Hardware-Mods.com
ASUS G1S 15.4" Gaming Notebook @ Techgage
OCZ Platinum r2 DDR2-800 2GB Memory Kit Reviewed @ TheTechLounge
Antec P190 PC Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Logitech G9 3200 dpi Laser USB Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews | | | | |
| VH News: Weekend Edition
Posted by Diceman on Sunday, October 14, 2007 @ 12:24 |
| Synology Disk Station DS107+ NAS Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“The average price I can find for the DS107+ is about $330. This seems like an amazingly good deal as far as I’m concerned. It’s external storage with gigabit Ethernet, a web server, iTunes server, backup utility for Cameras and USB drives. Plus the (near as I can tell), unique internal bit torrent download client that you can use from a remote location. It’s not so high priced that a small home business or family with a home network and a couple computers can’t afford it. With 500GB drives around $100, it’s a very cost effective solution. “
Google, Random House move closer on book search
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Random House, the world's biggest book publisher, is considering joining a book-search project run by Google, once considered an arch-enemy by the paper publishing industry.
The two parties are talking to one another about the less controversial part of Google's book-scanning project, its partner program, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters at this week's Frankfurt Book Fair.
Google has agreements with more than 10,000 publishers, large and small, who give their books to Google to be scanned in full. Google then makes them partially available -- according to agreements with each publisher -- for online readers.
Ad dollars flood Web, but will they go far enough?
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Companies will spend a record $31 billion this year to advertise everything from toothpaste to home loans on the Internet, supporting countless news sites, social networks, video exchanges and blogs.
But some media veterans worry that expectations for online advertising may be getting out-sized.
Increasingly, they say, too much media depends on advertising as the only source of revenue. With new players from software makers to cable operators also trying to cash in, the dollars simply may not stretch far enough.
"I'm getting to the point where I feel like every answer to every business development pitch is 'We're going to be advertiser supported'," said Beth Comstock, president of Integrated Media at NBC Universal, which this year set up a fund to invest in media and digital companies.
You might wear computing's next wave
BOSTON - From clothes riddled with sensors to name tags that detect our moods, computing's next wave could unleash small devices that increasingly augment everyday activities with digital intelligence.
That was the predominant vision at a conference on "wearable computing" held this week in Boston, where researchers showed off prototypes and discussed ideas.
Some attendees took wearable computing to its extreme, donning cyborg-like miniaturized displays attached to eyepieces. But most of what was on exhibit seemed much closer to jumping into a mainstream commercial product.
Quick Bytes:
SilverStone TJ10 Case @ 3dgameman
Super Talent W1866UX2G8 DDR3-1866 Memory Review @ PCSTATS.com
Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-11000 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ Bigbruin.com
OCZ Vanquisher CPU Cooler @ Techgage
Logitech G9 Gaming Mouse @ Pro-Clockers
XFX 8800 GTS 320 MB: Another Fatal1ty @ Bjorn3D
Hiper Anubis Mid-Tower Case Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Targus 15.4-Inch Corporate Traveler Laptop Case CUCT02A @ Benchmark Reviews
Entry level VGA round-up, 7 Geforce 8400GS compared @ Madshrimps
Tagan ITZ 1300W & Thermaltake ToughPower 1200W @ Phoronix
Sapphire Radeon HD 2600 Pro at Modders-Inc
NOX XTREME Moonlight @ techPowerUp
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| VH News: Friday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Friday, October 12, 2007 @ 5:16 |
| CFI TeraBox II+ USB Multiple HDD Enclosure Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“It doesn’t get much simpler than this for a 4 slot external enclosure. Slide the drives in, select what mode you want and plug it in and go. With the USB format, the enclosure is portable between systems, anything after Windows 98 doesn’t need drivers and all the drives can be combined into a single drive. CFI Enclosure has put this at a MSRP of $149 and I think it is a good match.”
Electronic Arts to buy BioWare, Pandemic. Deal with parent Elevation Partners is worth up to $860 million
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Electronic Arts Inc., the video game developer known for titles such as "Madden NFL" and "The Sims," said Thursday it will acquire two software studios from Elevation Partners in a deal worth up to $860 million.
The studios, BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios, have a total of 10 games under development. Elevation owns their parent, VG Holding Corp.
Together, the studios employ about 800 people in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, as well as in Canada and Australia.
YouTube lets users map videos onto Google Earth
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - Google Inc is bringing the world of online video and map-making closer together by allowing users of its Google Earth software to watch and hear YouTube videos mapped to specific locations.
Google is offering a new YouTube video overlay on top of its Google Earth three-dimensional visualization software, which combines satellite images, maps, terrain and buildings of the world.
By allowing YouTube creators to geographically locate their videos on a map of the world, Google enables Internet users to zoom in on locations around the planet and watch YouTube tied to that place.
Nintendo says to keep Wii console price at $249
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) expects to keep its Wii video game console priced at $249 for the time being since it is selling all of the units it makes, a senior U.S. executive said on Thursday.
"We'll stay at $249 for the foreseeable future. We are still selling everything we can make," George Harrison, senior vice president of marketing at Nintendo America, told Reuters in an interview.
OCZ Technology Answers Enthusiast Demands for a Complete High-End Memory Solution with the 4GB Reaper HPC CAS 4 Edition
Sunnyvale, CA—October 10, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the 4GB PC2-6400 CL4 series, the latest edition to the highly-awarded OCZ Reaper HPC (Heat Pipe Conduit) product family. With a proven performance design coupled with the blazing latencies and memory capacity enthusiasts crave, the 4GB PC2-6400 Reaper CL4 series provides rock-solid stability and performance on the latest AMD and Intel platforms.
Quick Bytes:
Razer Diamondback 3G Gaming Mouse Review @ OCC
Evercool Buffalo CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
MSI K9AG Neo2-Digital Motherboard @ Viper Lair
Ultra X3 1000 Watt Energy Efficient Modular PSU @ HotHardware.com
e-bug SLI PC Review on Technic3D
Crucial BallistiX DDR3-1600 @ cdrinfo
Intel P35 Motherboard Roundup Vol 2 @ cdrinfo
I4U: OCZ ATV Turbo 4GB Flash Drive Review | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 11, 2007 @ 1:31 |
| 'Orange Box' is a sublime, striking package. Valve squeezes five top-notch games into one must-have collection
When the PC games "Half-Life" and "Half-Life 2" launched in 1998 and 2004 respectively, they heralded a fresh, hybrid style of action game: the cerebral shooter.
Other first-person shooters might have had token puzzles to spice things up (find a key in "Doom II" or hop on a box in "Deus Ex") but no game had integrated situations that required you to stop and think like the "Half-Life" games. (If you had time to stop and think while you were blasting the heads off of zombies, that is.)
With "The Orange Box," developer Valve Software offers a bountiful collection of previously-released and brand new game material for both PC and next-gen console gamers. Included in the package are "Half-Life 2" and "Half-Life 2: Episode One" as well as the new "Half-Life 2: Episode Two," "Portal" and (whew!) "Team Fortress 2."
I got my Episode 2 yesterday and have played it a bit so far. It certainly continues the HL2 tradition with fantastic graphics and smooth gameplay.
New scanner may replace metal detectors
WASHINGTON - The federal government will begin testing a body-scanning machine that could eventually be used instead of the metal detectors passengers walk through at airports.
Tests were scheduled to begin Thursday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with passengers pulled out of the security line for secondary screening. Passengers may request the full-body scan — which blurs faces so the person being screened cannot be recognized — instead of the traditional pat-down used across the country. The new machine uses radio waves to detect foreign objects.
Compal notebook shipments hit high in September
Compal Electronics saw its notebook shipments increase 56% on year to 2.1 million units in September, bringing the notebook shipments for the third quarter of 2007 to 6.1 million units, up 19% on year, according to company sources.
For the first three quarters of this year, notebook shipments reached 16 million units, an increase of over 70% on year, said the sources.
Compal is expected to ship at least six million notebooks in the fourth quarter, enabling the company to reach its goal of shipping 22 million notebooks in 2007, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.
With strong orders coming from brand vendors, including Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell, Acer and Toshiba, the company is expected to ship 30 million notebooks in 2008, according to sources at Taiwan-based securities houses
Mobility is the future. Laptops are flying off shelfs. I think the "selling point" has finally hit home with consumers with powerful Core 2 Duo processors and 8600 Nvidia graphics for resaonable prices.
Quick Bytes:
EVGA 680i SLI 775 A1 Motherboard Review @ mb
Multiple GeForce 8500GT PCIe Super Review @ MTB
GIGABYTE Odin GT 800W @ techPowerUp
Vers 2X iPod Speaker System Review @ Digital Trends
Thrustmaster Dual Trigger Gamepad Review @ FusionMods.Net
Mushkin HP2-6400 4GB Memory Kit @ Viper Lair
Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. Type S Review @ OCIA.net
Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro series Review @ OCC
Geeks 4-Channel Standalone DVR Review @ Rbmods
D-Link DWA-652 Xtreme N Notebook Adapter (PCMCIA) @ BmR
Razer Mantis Control & Mantis Speed Mousepads Review @ Tweaknews.net
Keeping Email Synced On Multiple Computers @ pcmech
RAM heat spreader removal guide @ ocinside.de
| | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 @ 6:27 |
| OCZ Technology Announces the World’s First 4GB NVIDIA® SLI™ Certified kits, Designed for Ultimate Gaming Performance on NVIDIA nForce Motherboards
Sunnyvale, CA—October 9, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. a worldwide leader in innovative ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the latest addition to the award-winning OCZ NVIDIA® SLI™ certified series, the world’s first 4GB PC2-6400 SLI-Ready DDR2 modules. Optimized specifically for the latest generation nForce platforms, this series features an ideal combination of reduced latencies and high density to support the ultimate gaming experience.
The OCZ PC2-6400 4GB SLI-Ready Series is the optimal memory solution for current and upcoming DirectX® 10 graphic-intensive PC titles and provides unsurpassed reliability and performance to unleash every graphic possibility. For enthusiasts, gamers, and system-builders using Windows® Vista™ as their choice operating system and who need the performance of high-speed memory, these newest PC2-6400 4GB kits are the ultimate SLI certified memory upgrade to increase your system responsiveness. The new high-density OCZ PC2-6400 4GB SLI-Ready Series is equipped with NVIDIA Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP) to optimize the modules’ gaming performance on nForce® SLI-based motherboards.
“There are increasingly more games that are now taking advantage of DirectX® 10 being introduced, and consumers need more memory to take full advantage of the enhanced details and effects within the games,” said Alex Mei, Chief Marketing Officer, OCZ Technology Group. “OCZ is proud to be the first memory manufacturer to offer an SLI Certified 4GB solution for gamers seeking for a perfect blend of high density and easy overclocking right out of the box on NVIDIA platforms.”
Quick Bytes:
Moneual Lab 932B Black HTPC Case With 7 Inch Touchscreen Review @ Tweaknews.net
2GB OCZ DDR-2 6400 Reaper CL3 Edition @ Hardwareoverclock Austria
CoolerMaster CM690 Case Review @ Gamepyre
Synology DS107e Single-Drive NAS @ Techgage
Buffalo Technology LinkStation Live Review @ Digital Trends
Buffalo Firestix PC2-6400 review at Icrontic.com
Logitech Pure-Fi Elite Review @ OCC
Tagan CS-Monolith Mid Tower ATX Case @ Benchmark Reviews
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 @ Techgage
NZXT Precise Power 1200W Modular Power Supply Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Clean Up a Wireless Signal By Changing The Channel @ pcmech
NZXT LeXa Redline Case Review on Technic3D
Glacial power 550watt PSU Review @ mb
OCZ ATV Turbo Flash Drive @ 3dgameman
QNAP TS 109 Pro NAS Server @ Technoyard
Half-Life 2: Episode Two @ Techgage | | | | |
| VH News: Tuesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 @ 2:29 |
| Hard disk pioneers win physics Nobel
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - France's Albert Fert and Germany's Peter Gruenberg won the 2007 Nobel Prize for physics on Tuesday for a breakthrough in nanotechnology that revolutionized data storage and led to gadgets such as laptops and iPods.
The 10-million Swedish crown ($1.54 million) prize, awarded by The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, recognized the pair's discovery of giant magnetoresistance, which enables scientists to push huge amounts of data into ever-smaller spaces.
"It is thanks to this technology that it has been possible to miniaturize hard disks so radically in recent years," the academy said in a statement.
BitTorrent moves from piracy to video streaming
BOSTON (Reuters) - BitTorrent Inc., which was co-founded by the developer of a software program widely used to share pirated music and video over the Web, plans to start helping media companies stream videos over the Internet.
The company unveiled the service on Tuesday, six years after its chief executive, Bram Cohen, created the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing technology.
Google to show videos on other Web sites
SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. will begin showing YouTube videos on thousands of other Web sites, hoping to profit from ads attached to the clips.
The expansion, scheduled to be announced Tuesday, represents the Internet search leader's farthest-reaching attempt yet to cash in on its $1.76 billion acquisition of YouTube since the deal closed 11 months ago.
Google already shows some video ads on clips on YouTube's own site.
Quick Bytes:
PNY GEFORCE 8500GT 512MB PCIe Review @ OCC
Oppo DV-981HD DVD Player Review @ Digital Trends
Antec Fusion Black 430 HTPC Case review at Metku.net
PC Power & Cooling TURBO-COOL 1KW-SR PSU Review @ Madshrimps
Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1250W Power Supply Review @ Bigbruin.com
Gigabyte G-Pad Pro @ techPowerUp
Banned from Using Linux: What Would You Do? @ MadPenguin.org
Dragon Fire LED Light Bar w/Remote at Modders-Inc
ArmoryTech Controller Rack review at Icrontic.com
Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard Hands-On @ OCModShop
Razer Piranha Gaming Headset Hands-On @ OCModShop
Razer Lachesis Gaming Mouse Hands-On @ OCModShop
Asus Triton 75 CPU Cooler @ OC3D
Moving Files From Old Drive to a New One @ pcmech
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 (Intel X38) @ Phoronix
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| VH News: Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 8, 2007 @ 2:36 |
| GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6 Motherboard Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“The board I will be reviewing from Gigabyte is the GA-P35-DQ6 featuring a P35/ICH9R chipset combination. This model supports the DDR-2 standard, dual PCIe graphics capability (only crossfire is supported on the Intel chipsets), solid caps all over the board, Quad bios solution, Eight Channel HD audio provided by the Realtek ALC889 codec and silent heatpipe cooling. All great features contributing to the very bling-bling nature of this board. Let’s dig in and see if it stacks up.”
WIN FREE SWAG @ CrazyPC - Ends October 17th!
Place an order with CrazyPC.com between now and October 17th and your eligible to win one of our Giveaway items! Winners will be announced October 18th! *See Details Below*
1. T.One 1 Inch USB Drive!
2. Logisys LCD Stand
3. CrazyPC T-Shirt
4. Bluegears b-Cool BR 80mm
5. Func 1030 Mousing Surface
*Details: Place an order between September 17th, 2007 and October 17th, 2007. Five customers will be randomly selected to receive one of the 5 giveaway items. The lucky winners will be announced on October 18th, 2007. One giveaway item per randomly selected customer.
Could vertical farming be the future? Farm able to feed 50,000 people could 'fit comfortably within a city block'
Rice on the seventh floor. Wheat on the twelfth. And enough food within an 18-story tower to feed a small city of 50,000.
Vertical farms, where staple crops could be grown in environmentally friendly skyscrapers, exist today only in futuristic designs an on optimistic Web sites. Despite concerns over sky-high costs, however, an environmental health expert in New York is convinced the world has the know-how to make the concept a reality — and the imperative to do so quickly.
With a raft of studies suggesting farmers will be hard-pressed to feed the extra 3 billion people swelling the world’s ranks by the year 2050, Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier believes a new model of agriculture is vital to avoid an impending catastrophe.
Futuristic car makes reversing obsolete
TOKYO (Reuters) - For all those drivers that hate parallel parking and anything else that requires the reverse gear, Nissan could one day have the car for you.
The leading Japanese carmaker recently unveiled the Pivo 2, a battery-powered concept car with a fully rotating cabin that makes going backwards obsolete, since the driver can turn to face the direction they need to go.
Its wheels also turn 90 degrees, making parking easier.
Quick Bytes:
Acer AL2002W 20-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org
MNPCTECH Carbon Fiber film Review @ FusionMods.Net
Toshiba HD-A20 HD DVD Player Review @ Digital Trends
Interview with Intel's Memory Guru, Christopher Cox @ Techgage
Cooler Master Centurion 5 Review @ FusionMods.Net
CoolerMaster HyperTX CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc
A- DATA USB2.0 Flash Drive - RB19 Review @ OCC
ICY BOX IB-351StUS-B USB & eSATA 3.5" Enclosure @ BmR
Logitech Kinetik 15,4 Briefcase Review @ Rbmods
Super Talent Vidego24T MP3/MP4 Player Review @ HardwareLogic
Titan EZ Sound at Overclockers Online
I4U: Logitech Updated G15 Gaming Keyboard Review
AeroCool FP-01 Multifunction Panel @ Legit Reviews
Acer AL2216W 22 Inch LCD Monitor @ 3dgameman
Antec P-190 Case Review @ Hi-Tech Reviews.com | | | | |
| VH News: Weekend Edition
Posted by Diceman on Sunday, October 7, 2007 @ 2:38 |
| Can e-sports catch fire in the U.S.? The World Cyber Games are here, in Seattle. Bet you didn't hear about it
SEATTLE - There was no torch-lighting at the opening ceremony for the World Cyber Games Grand Finale on Thursday. Instead, the audience of competitive video game players, sponsors and press were treated to an overlong human beat-box performance and an unfunny emcee.
But then, out came the players, one from each of the 74 countries represented at these so-called “Olympics of e-sports.” They came from Iran, Pakistan, the Phillipines and Peru — more than 700 players in total. And over the next three days, these players will duke it out on games such as “StarCraft,” “Project Gotham Racing 3” and “Gears of War.” At stake is over a half million in cash and prizes, gold medals — and bragging rights.
AT&T TILT: BUILT FOR SPEED
AT&T’s new Tilt is fast. Really fast. I know that because I’m familiar with the phone in other, forms.
The Tilt is nearly identical to AT&T’s previous 8525 device and to T-Mobile’s current Wing smartphone.
They’re all manufactured by HTC, they’re all GSM-based world phones which run on Windows Mobile OS, and they all have similar controls and buttons. They’re also all very good cellular phones.
Do eBay Ads Go Overboard?
EBay Inc. has significantly boosted its advertising revenue since last year, but some sellers worry that the company's efforts in this area are driving potential buyers away from the online marketplace.
Last year, eBay signed deals to run ads from the Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. networks in order to better capitalize on the massive traffic it draws to its Web sites, primarily its core eBay.com marketplace.
Don't want an iPod? Lots of choices available
NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Marybeth Miller decided she wanted a digital player to carry around music from her massive collection, she had one important rule: no iPod.
"Everyone has an iPod. For some reason, I would rather find and purchase the 'hidden gem' MP3 player that is less popular," said Miller, a Wilmington, Delaware-based musician. "I don't like the idea that nearly everyone has an iPod. I feel this way about other things, too. I appreciate obscurity."
The good news is that for those wanting to steer clear of the legion of white headphones, there are several solid alternatives
Sony to start selling 40GB PS3 in Europe next week
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) will start selling a new configuration of its PlayStation 3 video game console, with less built-in storage capacity, in Europe on October 10, priced at 399 euros, the company said on Friday.
The model, which will also be available in the Middle East, Africa and Australia, has a 40-gigabyte hard drive and includes the ability to access the Internet wirelessly.
Sony also said it would cut the price of its 60-gigabyte PS3 by 100 euros to 499 euros "while stocks last."
Sony launched the PS3 in the United States last November with a 20-gigabyte model and the bigger 60-gigabyte model, which was expected to cater to gamers who also use the device to watch video and movies. Sony discontinued the lower-capacity PS3 in North America due to strong sales of the higher-capacity model.
Quick Bytes:
Gigabyte 3D Mercury Water Cooling Case @ 3dgameman
AMD Triple Core - Marketing Hype or Mainstream Killer? @ Legit Reviews
Gigabyte Volar Cooler Review @ OC Cafe
A.C.Ryan UDrive USB2.0 to IDE/SATA2 external converter Review @ FusionMods.Net
Asus Xonar D2 Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Thermalright HR-03 Plus @ techPowerUp
Fantec Fanbox External Hard Drive Review on Technic3D
Silverstone KL-01 Mid-Tower Case @ DreamWare Computers
Samsung LN-T4681F LCD HDTV @ DreamWare Computers
CoolerMaster HyperTX CPU Cooler at Modders-Inc | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 4, 2007 @ 4:18 |
| Antec Veris A/V Component Cooler Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“The Veris family is a new line of personal home theater multimedia components made by Antec. Currently, the series contains only five products, but more are expected. Up for review today is the Veris A/V cooler, an ingenious accessory for prolonging the life expectancy of your home entertainment products by keeping your equipment running cool.”
Enermax Infinity 720W Power Supply Review @ PCSTATS.com
Enermax is power supply brand that differentiates itself on features and appearance. Both are good qualities, but power efficiency is something it should improve upon. A power efficient PSU that is difficult to use isn't much good, and the same rings true for a unit which has all the physical qualities take care of, but isn't as power efficient as it could be. | | | | |
| VH News: Thursday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Thursday, October 4, 2007 @ 3:26 |
| Kingston Technology DDR3 Memory Soars to New Heights With 1800MHz, Low-Latency 1625MHz Debut; HyperX 14400, 13000 Modules Push Memory Technology to Faster Speed Levels
Fountain Valley, CA -- (October 4, 2007) -- Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it has launched high performance 1800MHz DDR3 and Low-Latency 1625MHz HyperX memory modules, riding the edge of new DDR3 memory technology with two of the fastest production speeds available.
"Kingston is taking next generation memory to new levels with the announcement of our new 1800MHz HyperX 14400 series DDR3 memory,” said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston®.
"With DDR3 technology progressing farther and faster than expected, meeting the need for speed and reaching new production performance levels is both challenging and greatly rewarding for us as a memory company.”
Lower CAS latencies typically deliver better performance — even when a module's speed is slower — without driving thermal conditions that would require extra cooling in a high frequency system. The release of Kingston HyperX 1625MHz low-latency memory marks Kingston's third foray into the DDR3 low-latency overclocking arena.
Tested on ASUS P5K3 Deluxe class (P35 based) motherboards, both the 1800MHz and low-latency 1625MHz HyperX are shipping in 1GB modules and 2GB memory kits. All Kingston memory comes with a lifetime warranty and 24/7 technical support.
Kingston 1800MHz and Low-Latency 1625MHz DDR3 HyperX Specifications
KHX14400D3/1G
1GB 1800MHz (CL8-8-8-24-1T @ 1.9V)
DDR3 HyperX DIMM $ 227.00 (U.S. only)
KHX14400D3K2/2G
2GB 1800MHz (CL8-8-8-24-1T @ 1.9V)
DDR3 HyperX DIMMs, (Kit of 2) $ 453.00 (U.S. only)
KHX13000D3LL/1G
1GB 1625MHz Low-Latency (CL7-7-7-20-1T @ 1.9V)
DDR3 HyperX DIMM $ 224.00 (U.S. only)
KHX13000D3LLK2/2G
2GB 1625MHz Low-Latency (CL7-7-7-20-1T @ 1.9V)
DDR3 HyperX DIMMs, (Kit of 2) $ 448.00 (U.S. only)
For more detailed information on Kingston memory products, please call 800-337-8410 or visit Kingston at www.kingston.com.
OCZ Announces the Highly-Anticipated PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 1200, the Industry’s Most Powerful NVIDIA® SLI ™ Certified Single-Rail PSU
Sunnyvale, Calif.—October 3, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance memory and PC components, today announced the release of the Turbo-Cool 1200 power supply from PC Power & Cooling. Designed to offer the consumer market a professional-grade computer power supply, the 1200W Turbo-Cool is the ultimate power solution for those that require the very best, long-lasting, industrial-grade components for their mission-critical system or leading-edge gaming machine.
Continuing a long history of technical innovation and industry leadership, PC Power & Cooling has designed the Turbo-Cool 1200 for optimum power distribution to all components by utilizing their customary "single +12V rail" design. This trail-blazing approach to +12V rail design ends the need to budget power "across the rails" as is the case with the less effective multi-rail design found in the vast majority of high-performance PSUs on the market today.
"The release of the Turbo-Cool 1200 is another landmark event for PC Power & Cooling," stated Doug Dodson, founder of PCP&C and CTO for the OCZ Technology Group. "The Turbo-Cool series has a long history of providing an industrial, server-class computer power supply to the consumer market and the 1200 model brings the product line to new heights with a massive +12V continuous output of 90 Amps and an efficiency rating of 83%. Many of the top OEMs in the computing industry are excited to see the arrival of this innovative power supply."
Quick Bytes:
Cooler Master Vortex 752 CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org
LG DVD Burner GSA-H62N SATA vs GSA-H50N IDE Review @ OCC
The State of DirectX 10 - Image Quality & Performance @ HotHardware.com
Crucial PC2-6400 2x 1024 MB Dual Channel Kit @ Hardware-Mods.com
FSP Epsilon 700 (FX700-GLN) 700W PSU Review on Technic3D
Lian Li PC-C32 Review - XSReviews
Asus P5K3-Deluxe/WiFi-AP P35 motherboard @ APH Networks
Silverstone Element ST50EF-Plus 500W PSU Review @ HardwareLogic
2 GB Mushkin DDR2 kit HP2-6400 @ Hardwareoverclock
Why I Downgraded to Windows XP From Vista @ pcmech
Gigabyte GA-X38T-DQ6 @ TrustedReviews
ECS G31T-M @ techPowerUp
Apple iPod Shuffle Second Generation 1Gb MP3 Player Review @ Tweaknews.net
Logitech Quickcam 9000 Pro Review @ Rbmods
Auzentech X-Fi Prelude @ Techgage
A-DATA Vitesta DDR2-800 Extreme @ Phoronix
HIS HD 2600Pro Turbo 256MB Video Card @ 3dgameman
HP w2408 24-inch LCD Review @ Digital Trends
ASUS BC-1205PT Blu-ray Combo Drive @ hardwarezone | | | | |
| VH News: Wednesday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 @ 3:30 |
| Patriot 2x1GB PC3-15000 1866MHz DDR3 Memory Review @ Virtual-Hideout
“Well, I was sitting here one afternoon contemplating what could possibly be any better than an 1800MHz DDR3 memory kit that could help me melt down my E6600 and whichever motherboard to further compliment such a feat. To my surprise, Patriot Memory stepped up to the plate in good form with something better. As if 1800MHz wasn't plenty of speed right now, this team has been busy finalizing and currently offering the Patriot PC3-15000 2GB Kit. If you calculate that out (which can sometimes cause headaches), that's 1866MHz of raw memory frequency. How much memory bandwidth and performance does that offer? Let's find out!”
HD DVD to launch online shopping feature. Looking for an edge against Blu-ray for next-generation format supremacy
NEW YORK - Just watched "Evan Almighty"? Did its environmental message make you want to buy ecologically sound toilet paper?
Well, now you can get instant gratification — if you watched the movie on an HD DVD player and are willing to give the remote a workout.
The HD DVD of "Evan Almighty" will be the first disc to include an online shopping feature, Universal Studios announced Wednesday.
Google beefs up corporate e-mail. Company added new security tool and doubled storage capacity
SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. is sprucing up its corporate e-mail service by adding new security tools and more than doubling the storage capacity of e-mailboxes, underscoring the online search leader's ambition to enlarge its role in the business software market.
The changes, to be unveiled Wednesday, mark Google's first attempt to capitalize on the technology that it picked up in its recently completed $625 million acquisition of e-mail security specialist Postini Inc.
Microsoft unveils Zune Social, new Zune devices, innovative Zune software and redesigned Zune Marketplace — all geared toward discovering and sharing new music.
SEATTLE — Oct. 2, 2007 — Underscoring the company’s vision for helping to advance the digital entertainment industry and deliver great music experiences to its customers, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and Corporate Vice President J Allard yesterday unveiled the next generation of Zune® portable media players, software and online store. Gates and Allard also introduced Zune Social, a beta online community Web site built around and powered by people’s passion for music.
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Gigabyte GeForce 8600GT Video Card Review @ OCC
OCZ DDR3 PC3-12800 2GB 1600MHz Memory Kit Review @ Legit Reviews
DH Review: XFX 8800 GTS 320Mb Fatal1ty and Gainward Bliss 8800 GTS 640Mb
Acryl and Meshx Review @ FusionMods.Net
Silverstone Nitrogon NT06 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardwarecanucks
Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP motherboard @ Viper Lair
Hard Drive Failure: Warnings and Solutions @ pcmech
Corsair Padlock USB Flash Drive Review @ Tweaknews.net
Will Windows Mobile Be The Only Mobile OS? @ The TechZone
Why I Chose Linux @ MadPenguin.org
Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H @ Techgage
Chill Innovation CP-520A4 PSU Review at Metku.net
Sunbeam UFO Acrylic Cube Case @ techPowerUp
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| VH News: Tuesday 3rd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 @ 5:16 |
| Überclok, LLC Launches Sale of Overclocked Gaming PCs
September 10, 2007 - Chicago, IL - Überclok, LLC, a startup based in Chicago, hit the ground running this week with its entry into the Gaming PC market. Überclok uses hardware overclocking to produce faster, more powerful computers than those sold for the same price by other gaming PC companies. By the same token, an Überclok PC costs significantly less than a competing product of equal capability.
Thermaltake at WCG 2007 to Showcase New Xaser VI and Others
Thermaltake’s performance case “Soprano DX”, “Xaser VI”, “Armor +” and enthusiast cooler “V1”, “MaxOrb”, plus quality power supply “Toughpower series” are all honored to be designated as WCG 2007 Official Product, and these products will take gaming experience to a whole new level. Thermaltake will have general exhibition areas at the venue for all visitors to admire our newest product and gaming gears. | | | | |
| VH News: Tuesday 2nd Edition
Posted by Diceman on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 @ 5:06 |
| Can video game cheating be prevented? Today's games are networked and real money is on the line
Some players give themselves the ability to magically see and shoot through walls. Others find a way to fly, making them nearly impossible to defeat.
Cheating like this in video games has a long and even respected tradition. Games have often slyly included ways — intentionally or not — for sophisticated players to hack into the software and then skip levels or take on supernatural powers.
But these days, the subject is getting a more serious look. Unlike older games, today's are networked to be played with strangers over the Internet. And now, real money is at stake. Fantasy games like "World of Warcraft" and computer environs like "Second Life," to name a few, have their own currency or other virtual valuables that can be traded for hard U.S. dollars.
Building a computer that reads minds. User wears headband that sends light into the tissues of the head
They're already predicting, mathematically, what you'll want to watch, what you'll want to wear, and who you'll want to vote for. Obviously, the next step is for computers to read your mind — and that's just what they're working toward at Tufts University in Boston.
Your computer won't be picking up details about your plans for the evening anytime soon. But researchers with the Human Computer Interaction group at Tufts have, thanks to a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, come up with a straightforward way for your computer to tell if you are overworked, under-worked or not working at all, according to a paper they will present next week at an Association of Computing Machinery symposium.
Microsoft softens tone on Doubleclick/Google deal
PARIS (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp softened its criticism of Google Inc's planned $3.1 billion acquisition of online advertiser DoubleClick, which it had claimed earlier would give the search engine group a dominant position.
"The question is not for Microsoft to have specific views (on this deal) ... As in all markets, it is for the regulator to see if the competition is right," Jean-Philippe Courtois, head of Microsoft International, told journalists in Paris on Tuesday.
Nokia signs video deals with CNN, Sony and others
HELSINKI (Reuters) - The world's top cellphone maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) has signed partnership deals with seven companies including CNN (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sony Pictures (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) to bring video content to its top-of-the-range multimedia phones.
"Consumer desire to watch Internet videos on mobile devices is growing all the time and we want to help users discover and access the best content in the simplest way possible," Harri Mannisto, director at Nokia's multimedia unit, said on Tuesday.
Driverless truck lurches out of lab
OSHKOSH, Wis. - Sitting high in the cab of the hulking lime-green TerraMax truck, a driver can be excused for instinctively grabbing the steering wheel.
There's no need. TerraMax is a self-driving vehicle, a prototype designed to navigate and obey traffic rules — all while the people inside, if there are any, do anything but drive.
During a recent test on property owned by manufacturer Oshkosh Truck Co., TerraMax barreled down a dusty road with its driver seat empty. It stopped at a four-way intersection and waited as staged traffic resolved before obediently lurching on its way.
Nintendo Predicts Holiday Wii Shortage
Regarding the possibility of a Nintendo Wii shortage this holiday shopping season, Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg said that if supply of the Wii turns out to be too scarce, consumers might decide that it's time to look at other alternatives and other devices, and that can only bode well for both Microsoft and Sony.
Quick Bytes:
Complete Halo 3 Walkthrough @ OCModShop
Medal of Honor: Airborne Game Review on Technic3D
ECS P35T-A and Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L @ HotHardware.com
Zalman Z-Machine GT1000 Case Review @ HardwareLogic
Titan TTC-G5T Extendable Notebook Cooling Pad Speakers @ Pro-Clockers
DFI LanParty UT P35 T2R Review @ Ninjalane
I4U: Viewsonic 42-inch N4261W 1080p LCD HDTV Review
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| VH News: Monday Edition
Posted by Diceman on Monday, October 1, 2007 @ 11:10 |
| Sony to launch new ultra-thin TV. Organic light-emitting diode monitors to go on sale in December
TOKYO - Sony Corp will launch an ultra-thin flat TV based on the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology on December 1 in Japan, bringing a new contender to a $82 billion market dominated by LCD and plasma TVs.
It will be the world's first OLED TV, the company said on Monday.
Sony, the world's number two liquid crystal display (LCD) TV maker behind Samsung Electronics Co Ltd , expects an 11-inch OLED TV with a thickness of 3 mm to sell for 200,000 yen ($1,740).
Adobe releases new Flash software for cell phones
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc (ADBE.O: Quote, Profile, Research) released new software for its popular Flash Player on Sunday that promises to bring the quality of live video on cellular phones closer to that of video on computers.
Microsoft unveiling Office Live Workspace
SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. is unveiling a Web component for its desktop-based Office programs that lets computer users store, share and comment on documents, but the software maker did not go so far as to let people create new files from scratch online.
Microsoft Office Live Workspace, as the free Web site is called, isn't quite live. Starting Monday, users can sign up to be part of an early "beta" test of the service. A number of those users will be able to start using the service at some point this year, Microsoft said.
Office Live Workspace will give users about 250 megabytes of storage, or room to keep about 1,000 average Office documents "in the cloud." PC users can upload Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and use the site to e-mail friends or colleagues and invite them to read and add comments to those documents through a Web browser.
Quick Bytes:
ViewSonic VX2255wmb 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Philips 200XW 20 inch WSXGA LCD Monitor Review @ OCC
Sony HES-V1000 Home Entertainment Server @ Digital Trends
JVC EVERIO GZ-HD3 Review @ Digital Trends
Insignia NS-LCD32 32 Inch 720p HDTV Monitor @ Benchmark Reviews
Scythe CPU Cooler Roundup @ 3dgameman
Thermaltake Purepower Rx 600W Modular Power Supply review @ Hardwarecanucks
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